Southern Africa: Angola and Italy Intend to Revitalize Parliamentary Friendship Groups

Luanda — Angola and Italy decided on Tuesday in Luanda, to reactivate the parliamentary friendship groups, with a view to strengthening institutional relations and promoting closer cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.

This was discussed during an audience that the President of the National Assembly, Adão de Almeida, granted to the Italian ambassador, Marco Ricci.

Speaking to the press at the end of the meeting, the diplomat explained that the meeting served to offer congratulations on the president's new mission and to convey the greetings of his Italian counterpart.

The ambassador highlighted the strength of relations between Angola and Italy, describing them as "very good" and based on a long history of friendship and cooperation.

He said the Italian support for Angola dates back to the period before independence, having recalled that Italy was the only Western European country to recognize Angolan independence on November 11, 1975.

According to the diplomat, over the years, this historical relationship has allowed for the building of significant partnerships in the political, economic, and human domains and that trade between the two countries reached approximately 200 million euros in 2024, the last year with available official data.

The diplomat stated that the expectation is that this volume will continue to grow in the coming years, having cited the energy sector as one of the main areas of Italian presence in Angola.

According to Marco Ricci, the Italian oil company ENI has been operating in the country since the early years of independence and currently operates in partnership with BP, being one of the main oil and gas producers in Angolan territory.

The ambassador also mentioned the Mattei Plan, an initiative of the Italian government aimed at strengthening cooperation with priority African countries, including Angola.

He announced new cooperation projects that should be launched this year in Angola, in order to strengthen the bilateral partnership and open new opportunities for economic development between the two countries.

Relations between Angola and Italy are strategic and focused on economic diversification, energy and infrastructure.

Italy is an important trading partner, with investment in the Lobito Corridor and sectors such as oil, health and agriculture.

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