Luanda — Outgoing Norwegian Ambassador to Angola Bjørnar Dahl Hotvedt on Monday described relations between the two countries as excellent, particularly in the oil sector, technology transfer and job creation.
The diplomat was speaking to the press at the end of an audience granted to him by President João Lourenço, to whom he paid a farewell visit after four years on diplomatic assignment in Angola.
Bjørnar Dahl Hotvedt highlighted the role of the oil sector in trade relations between Angola and Norway, as well as the presence of several Norwegian companies in the Angolan market.
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According to the ambassador, these companies contribute to technology transfer and job creation, while also operating in other sectors of the Angolan economy.
The diplomat said the meeting with the Head of State also provided an opportunity to discuss issues of bilateral interest, particularly the opening of the Angolan Embassy in Oslo in 2024.
He described the establishment of the Angolan diplomatic mission in the Norwegian capital as the fulfilment of a commitment made by President João Lourenço during his visit to Norway in 2022, an initiative which, he said, helped deepen relations between the two countries.
Regarding prospects for Norwegian investment in Angola, Bjørnar Dahl Hotvedt pointed to significant potential in the coming years, particularly in the oil sector.
Despite the decline in Angola's oil production, he explained that the country has mature fields with reserves that could benefit from the application of advanced technologies to increase oil recovery.
"I see significant potential for further investment in the coming years," the diplomat said, highlighting Norwegian expertise and technology as factors that could contribute to making better use of the resources available in mature fields.
The ambassador also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in non-oil sectors in order to support Angola's economic diversification process.
In this regard, he mentioned investments already made by a Norwegian government fund in the agricultural sector and expressed the expectation that investment in non-oil areas would increase in the coming years.
Bjørnar Dahl Hotvedt said Angola has "a lot of potential" to achieve stronger economic growth, with opportunities to diversify its economy and attract new investment.
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Diversified cooperation
Angola and Norway established diplomatic relations on 31 October 1977. Norway opened a resident embassy in Luanda in 1998.
Over the past decades, the two countries have consolidated relations of friendship and cooperation in the political, economic and social fields, particularly in oil and gas, energy, fisheries, agriculture, logistics and sustainable natural resource management.
At the political and diplomatic level, Angola and Norway maintain regular consultations between their respective foreign ministries and, since 2011, have held bilateral consultations on human rights.
Economic cooperation has the oil sector as one of its main areas of partnership, drawing on Norwegian experience in natural resource management and energy development. Cooperation also covers fisheries, the maritime economy, agriculture and logistics.
The two countries also cooperate in the areas of human rights, training and university research, institutional capacity-building, support for civil society and humanitarian demining.
In November 2022, President João Lourenço paid an official visit to Norway, accompanied by a ministerial delegation, in one of the most significant moments in bilateral relations in recent years.
Norway also supported Angola's accession in 2022 to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), further strengthening cooperation in transparency and natural resource governance.
