President Sheikh Mohamed arrived in Angola on Sunday for a state visit. The UAE leader will meet Angolan President Joao Manuel Lourenco and hold talks on deepening ties between both countries.

The meeting is expected to focus on economic ties and other areas of development that will strengthen the links between the UAE and Angola, and lead to the prosperity of the people of both countries, according to the state news agency Wam.

The UAE’s investments in Angola, one of Africa’s major oil producers, cover the ports sector, clean energy, property, defence and agriculture.

There has also been interest in Angolan markets, such as mining and critical minerals, energy transition, maritime logistics and agriculture over the past few years as both nations foster deeper ties.

A legacy of co-operation

The UAE established diplomatic relations with Angola in 1997, and several bilateral agreements have been signed in the years since.

The Emirates is keen to strengthen its economic relations with Angola through significant investments in several vital sectors, including energy, technology and maritime logistics services. Opportunities for expansion in many other areas, most notably food security and the agricultural sector in general, are also available.

The UAE's non-oil trade with Angola reached $2.2 billion in 2024, a growth of 36.3 per cent from 2019. Economic relations between the two countries have strengthened significantly since 2021, when an agreement was reached between Masdar and Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water to explore the possibility of implementing a solar energy and energy storage programme.

An agreement was also made between Abu Dhabi Ports Company and Angola’s Ministry of Transport in 2023 to develop maritime services and infrastructure across the country.

The Abu Dhabi Exports Office also signed two financing agreements with the Angolan government worth Dh445 million. These agreements will establish two data centres and a cloud computing platform, as well as install street lighting using environmentally friendly lamps in the Angolan cities of Luanda, Malanje, Indalatando and Uige.

In January, the UAE sent 25 ambulances, as well as various medical equipment and supplies, to Angola as part of the country’s $220 million global initiative to support the health sector in Africa.

Angola’s President visited Abu Dhabi last year for high-level talks. The countries explored co-operation in fields including economy, trade, investment, development and renewable energy. The leaders also spoke on the phone last month to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration.