The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, who was speaking after a private meeting with his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has been in Angola since Monday for a 72-hour state visit, said that, although diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to 1981, cooperation between Angola and Tanzania "is far below what was expected, being limited mainly to the multilateral framework within the Southern African Development Community [SADC]".
"We will work to take advantage of the great potential that each country offers, the political will and the willingness demonstrated to change the current situation for the benefit of our nations," declared João Lourenço.
The Head of State expressed the intention to promote private investment in both directions and to awaken the interest of Angolan and Tanzanian businesspeople to invest in the sectors of agriculture, industry, geology and mining, tourism, telecommunications and to cooperate in defense and security and other areas that are of common interest.
João Lourenço considered his counterpart's visit "a great opportunity" to address the best way for the two countries to promote all existing initiatives, to reap the best benefits from cooperation.
In turn, Samia Suluhu Hassan encouraged the strengthening of trade cooperation within the framework of the SADC Free Trade Area, as well as within the framework of the African continental free trade area, recalling that Angola can take advantage of Tanzania's potential in rice production.
In the oil sector, according to Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania is one of the countries with the largest gas reserves in Africa, with potential yet to be explored, while it is a leader in oil production, two areas with "unique opportunities" for the two countries to share experiences and identify business opportunities.
"We must work closely so that we can make the most of this cooperation that exists," said the President of Tanzania, who invited her Angolan counterpart to make a state visit to her country in July 2026, when the Dar-Es-Salam International Trade Fair will take place, an opportunity for Angolan entrepreneurs to prospect for business.
"In addition to trade and investment, we also need to carry out exchanges in various sectors, such as oil and gas, so that we can create employment opportunities for our youth, a key element," said the Tanzanian President, also pointing to the areas of the blue economy and health.
Samia Suluhu Hassan highlighted the strengthening of cooperation in the area of defense, to "revive" the exchange that has existed between the two countries since the liberation struggle.
The meeting between the two heads of state also served to review issues of international interest, said the President of Tanzania, expressing support for her counterpart in his presidency of the African Union and thanking Angola for its support for Tanzania's candidacy for the post of regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa.
Members of the two delegations signed legal instruments, namely the memorandum of understanding between the investment promotion and development agencies of both countries, in the area of defense and security.
