Samia to address Angolan Parliament in landmark visit
What you need to know:
- President Hassan’s visit will include high-level bilateral talks with President Lourenço and the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan is scheduled to begin a three-day official visit to the Republic of Angola from April 7 to 9, 2025, during which she will make history as the first female African leader to address the Angolan Parliament.
The visit comes at the invitation of Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and exploring strategic partnerships, particularly in the oil and gas sector, according to a statement issued by the Director of Presidential Communications at State House, Ms Sharifa Nyanga.
President Hassan’s visit will include high-level bilateral talks with President Lourenço and the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) designed to boost cooperation in key sectors including energy, mining, infrastructure development, health, education, and tourism.
“The visit aims to further deepen the historic and long-standing ties between Tanzania and Angola,” said Ms Nyanga. She added that the two leaders will also explore avenues for enhanced collaboration in defence and security.
President Hassan is expected to take part in a ceremonial wreath-laying at the Monument to the Founder of the Nation, the late President António Agostinho Neto, and tour the Luanda oil refinery—a key national facility in one of Africa’s largest oil-producing countries.
The foundation of Tanzania–Angola relations was laid by the countries' founding fathers, the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and President Neto, who shared a vision of African unity and liberation. That vision has since evolved into modern cooperation with a focus on socio-economic development.
The visit marks the first by a Tanzanian Head of State to Angola in nearly two decades, following previous official visits by Mwalimu Nyerere and Tanzania’s Fourth President, Jakaya Kikwete, in 2006, the latter of whom addressed the Angolan Parliament in his capacity as African Union Chairperson.
With Tanzania’s natural gas sector on the rise, the visit offers a timely opportunity for both nations to exchange expertise and pursue joint ventures in the energy industry, including oil and gas processing and infrastructure.
