Angola’s President, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, has publicly encouraged Indian corporations to explore strategic trade and investment opportunities in Angola, positioning the country as a significant export centre for Indian companies looking to join African markets. President Lourenco, speaking at the India-Angola Business Forum on his official visit to India, emphasised Angola’s growing importance in global trade and identified possibilities for bilateral cooperation.
He emphasised Angola’s geographic advantage, citing its close ties to the Southern African Development Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area. This, he claims, gives Indian enterprises preferential access to a vast network of regional markets, ensuring logistical simplicity and greater export possibilities throughout Africa.
The President emphasised that Angola-India ties are based on long-standing cooperation, which is supported by a network of bilateral agreements in sectors such as health, energy, finance, and diplomatic mobility.
President Lourenco mentioned pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and renewable energy as key areas for increased collaboration. Meanwhile, Sanjiv Puri, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry, highlighted Angola’s mining capabilities, emphasising the country’s status as Africa’s third-largest diamond producer. He pushed Indian companies to form joint ventures in diamond processing and crucial mineral extraction to help with sustainable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing ambitions.
