Tanzania and Angola have agreed to strengthen economic cooperation by improving transport connectivity, including linking the Lobito Corridor with the Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors. President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced the plan during a joint press briefing at State House in Dar es Salaam with Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who is on a state visit to Tanzania. President Samia acknowledged that despite longstanding political and diplomatic relations, economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries remained limited, prompting efforts to explore practical ways of expanding business opportunities.
The two governments agreed to organise a trade and investment forum to bring together business communities and private-sector players from both countries to identify partnership opportunities. President Samia highlighted transport infrastructure as one of the major challenges to trade across Africa. She explained that the proposed connection between the Lobito Corridor and the Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors would facilitate the movement of goods and strengthen links between the two countries and neighbouring states. The initiative is expected to complement the rehabilitation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) line and Angola's Benguela Railway, which runs from the Lobito area through the Democratic Republic of Congo towards Zambia.
The two countries signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to facilitate direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Luanda. Currently, travellers from Tanzania to Angola often connect through Addis Ababa in Ethiopia or South Africa. President Samia said the agreement would stimulate trade, tourism and other economic activities by making travel between the two countries easier. The two countries also agreed to explore cooperation in water transport as part of broader efforts to improve transport infrastructure and facilitate trade.
On energy, Tanzania has been invited to explore investment opportunities in Angola's oil-refining sector, particularly through the proposed Lobito Refinery project. The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) has begun preliminary processes to assess the possibility of partnering in the project. The two countries will also exchange expertise in the mining sector, focusing on empowering small-scale miners, strengthening technical capacity and increasing the value of locally produced minerals. President Samia cited Tanzania's mineral training institutions, including the Arusha-based mineral training college, as potential platforms for sharing expertise in mineral processing and value addition.
President Lourenço's visit marks the first state visit to Tanzania by an Angolan President in nearly four decades, with the last such visit having been made in 1979 by Angola's founding President, the late Dr Agostinho Neto. The two leaders expressed their commitment to building on historical ties between their countries by expanding economic relations and pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships.