Kenya, Angola Sign 11 Deals to Boost Bilateral Relations

President William Ruto and his Angolan counterpart João Manuel Goncalves Lorenco have signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.

The deals signed Saturday touched on wildlife management and conservation, shipping and maritime cooperation, youth development, forestry cooperation and bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector.

“Other MOUs are on telecommunications and ICT, oil and gas, mining and geology, health collaboration, capacity building of the public service and cooperation of our respective diplomatic academies. These frameworks will unlock the potential of our commercial and trade relations,” said Dr Ruto.

Further, Kenya waived Visa requirements for all Angolans so as to boost trade.

“We have also directed our respective ministers responsible for Transport to expedite and conclude discussions on the resumption of direct flights between Kenya and Angola,” added Dr Ruto.

The two countries also agreed to promote peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.

“President Lourenço and I acknowledge the active role played by our countries in addressing the conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo through the Luanda Roadmap and the EAC-led Nairobi Process,” said Ruto.

“Angola and Kenya are concerned over the proliferation of conflicts in Africa and beyond. We call for urgent reforms of the United Nations, especially the Security Council, to make it more representative, accountable, effective and responsive to the world’s geographical realities.”

As for African Union chairmanship, Ruto said Kenya will back Angola’s bid based on the country’s endorsement by Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“On climate change, we acknowledged that Kenya and Angola have suffered severe effects of this existential phenomenon,” he said.

“We affirmed the resolutions that were reached at the Africa Climate Summit last month and agreed to work together under the framework of the African Union and the United Nations, ahead of COP28 in Dubai beginning next month, to ensure that Africa makes its full contribution on this very crucial issue.”