During a historic visit to Angola, President Droupadi Murmu offered India’s Vande Bharat trains and proposed cooperation in youth skill development. Talks with President João Lourenco aimed to strengthen ties across multiple sectors.
Expanding Bilateral Cooperation Across Sectors
Building on this ceremonial beginning, the talks emphasised expanding cooperation across sectors that reflect the shared priorities and complementarities of India and Angola. Key areas of potential collaboration highlighted included sharing parliamentary best practices, agriculture, particularly in seeds and fertilisers, oil exploration and refining, connectivity and transport infrastructure, rare earth minerals, and diamond processing.
Focus on Capacity Building and Global Governance
President Murmu stressed India’s expertise in these sectors and expressed readiness to work closely with Angola to harness these opportunities for mutual growth. She placed particular emphasis on capacity building, training, digital public infrastructure, defence cooperation, and reforms of the United Nations Security Council, connecting technological and developmental collaboration with global governance priorities.
Collaboration on Sustainable Development
In addition to developmental and technological cooperation, President Murmu applauded Angola’s commitment to sustainable development, congratulating the country for joining two major global initiatives led by India, the Global Biofuels Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance, demonstrating how India-Angola cooperation extends to environmental and biodiversity efforts.To formalise these collaborations, both sides are expected to sign and exchange several Memoranda of Understanding, cementing agreements across the identified sectors and paving the way for enhanced bilateral engagement.
A Landmark Visit to Bolster India-Africa Ties
President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Luanda, the capital of Angola, on Sunday, undertaking the first-ever state visit to the Southern African nation by an Indian head of state. This visit forms the first leg of her two-nation tour from November 8 to 11, at the invitation of Angolan President João Lourenco, reflecting India’s commitment to deepening ties with Africa and the Global South.After concluding her engagements in Angola, President Murmu will travel to Botswana from November 11 to 13, at the invitation of President Duma Gideon Boko. This leg will also mark the first-ever state visit by an Indian head of state to Botswana and aims to enhance collaboration in trade, investment, technology, energy, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, defence, and people-to-people exchanges. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)