Luanda — The Okavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and the Permanent Water Commission of the Okavango River Basin represent immense potential for tourism development in which Angola is actively investing, Angolan President João Lourenço said on Tuesday in Luanda.
Speaking after a bilateral meeting with his Botswana counterpart, Duma Gideon Boko, president Lourenço stated that Angola and Botswana are key members of the regional KAZA initiative and called for the ratification of the underlying treaty to bolster tourism links.
"Efforts in this direction are underway and we expect to obtain good results soon," the Head of State said during a reception for President Boko.
President Lourenço highlighted the region's vast economic potential, noting that the Okavango has gained heightened international prominence since its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site--a status he emphasized must be safeguarded through joint state action.
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He added that Luanda is taking comprehensive steps to establish Cuando province as the central hub of Angolan ecotourism under the KAZA framework, effectively connecting the nation's wildlife corridors to primary tourist circuits in Botswana and other member states.
To support the expansion, Lourenço pointed to the hosting of the inaugural Angolan Okavango Region Forum, which has paved the way for the construction of the country's first commercial tourist accommodations in the basin.
"I believe this is a business opportunity that could be seized by interested investors from Botswana," he said.
President Duma Gideon Boko arrived in Luanda on Monday for a three-day state visit aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation across key sectors.
Diplomatic relations between the two southern African nations remain strong, supported by structured consultations at the presidential, ministerial, and technical levels to drive regional and continental cooperation.
Both delegations identified shared growth priorities in mining, agriculture, and healthcare, with a focus on ventures capable of mobilizing private capital and generating mutual economic returns.
In the energy sector, Botswana indicated an interest in acquiring an equity stake in Angola's 6 billion US dollars Lobito Refinery project.
The two countries also agreed to deepen strategic cooperation in the diamond sector--spanning exploration, cutting, processing, and marketing--under the framework of the Luanda Agreement signed in June 2025.
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