H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, met with his Namibian counterpart, H.E. Tom Alweendo, last Thursday as part of an official state visit to Windhoek last week.

　　At the invitation of H.E. Minister Alweendo, the African energy Ministers discussed existing and future areas of cooperation within their respective extractive industries.

　　The meeting follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Angola and Namibia last November, at the Angola Oil & Gas 2022 Conference, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of petroleum and natural gas, as well as addressing local capacity building and the energy transition.

　　Angolan officials hope to gain from Namibian experience in uranium and offshore diamond mining, with intent towards to unlocking the full value of Angola’s metallic and non-metallic natural resources.

　　Chief Executives from the Angolan Diamond Company ENDIAMA and the Angolan Diamond Trading Company (SODIAM) were part the delegation, which met with Namibian technicians and discussed legislative and regulatory actions necessary to ensure healthy, functional markets.

　　The Ministers also addressed longstanding concerns of cross-border fuel smuggling, as a joint-operation between countries continues to pressure offenders.