Bangladesh eyes long-term G2G energy cooperation arrangement with Angola

Bangladesh has expressed strong interest in forging a long-term, government-to-government (G2G) energy cooperation arrangement with Angola and invited an Angolan technical team to visit Dhaka at the earliest opportunity for formal negotiations.

At the first-ever high-level bilateral energy dialogue between the two countries yesterday (15 May), Bangladesh indicated its own readiness to send a reciprocal technical mission to Luanda to advance discussions.

The Bangladesh side urged the early conclusion of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on energy cooperation to provide a formal institutional framework for the partnership.

The Bangladesh delegation outlined the country's growing energy needs and its strategic imperative to diversify crude oil and gas imports beyond the Middle East.

The Angolan side provided a candid overview of Angola's energy landscape.

Angola currently produces approximately 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day and has two new refineries in the pipeline, significantly expanding its domestic processing capacity.

Angola also has LNG export capacity and is actively developing downstream and upstream gas fields, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Nigeria.

The Angolan delegation expressed a clear desire for international investment across the energy value chain and confirmed Angola's strong interest in forging energy cooperation with Bangladesh.

Angola undertook to study the proposed MoU and provide its feedback at the earliest opportunity.

Both sides engaged in a frank and constructive discussion.

The meeting reflected a convergence of strategic interests: Bangladesh's need for reliable, diversified energy supply, and Angola's ambition to expand its export markets and attract investment into its energy sector.

Both delegations acknowledged the substantial untapped potential in the bilateral relationship and agreed on the importance of sustained, technical-level engagement to translate the dialogue into concrete outcomes.

Bangladesh and Angola yesterday held their first ever high-level meeting on energy cooperation through a virtual platform, marking a significant milestone in the two countries' efforts to forge a substantive energy partnership.

The meeting, convened at the initiative of Bangladesh, brought together senior officials from both governments and state energy entities for a candid and substantive exchange on energy cooperation, supply arrangements, and investment opportunities.

The Bangladesh delegation was led by the Secretary, Energy and Mineral Resources Division, and included senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, alongside the Chairmen and Directors of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Petrobangla.

The Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria and concurrently accredited Ambassador to Angola, Miah Md Mainul Kabir, attended the meeting and delivered remarks, underlining the High Commission's sustained efforts to promote Bangladesh-Angola bilateral relations.

The Angolan delegation was led by José Alexandre Barroso, Minister of State for Oil and Gas, accompanied by senior officials from Angola's public energy sector.

The ambassador of Angola to Nigeria also participated.