President of the Republic of Angola, Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco was on his four-day official visit to India from May 1 to 4, 2025, at the invitation of President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu, to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several Ministers, senior officials, business houses, media etc.
- This visit marks the first bilateral visit of President Lourenco, who assumed office in 2017, and the first visit of a President of Angola to India after 38 years.
- The year 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Angola.
Note: Angola is holding the chairship of the African Union(AU).
Highlights of the Visit:
i.During his visit to India, Angola President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola was ceremonially welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.He also met Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and held a high-level delegation talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
- During the meeting PM Narendra Modi announced USD 200 million as Line of Credit (LOC) for the modernisation of Angola’s armed forces. He has invited Angola to join India’s initiatives, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) and Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA).
- Angola will source defence equipment, transport vehicles, ammunition and other assets from Indian public and private sector defence companies.
MoUs Signed:
During the state visit of Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço to India, India and Angola signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors:
i.MoU for cooperation in the field of Ayurveda and other traditional medicine:
- The possibility of traditional medicine, Ayurveda will be introduced to Angola.
- By signing the MoU, India will support Angola in its healthcare sector, a greater number of doctors and paramedical forces by expanding India’s healthcare sector with the creation of new hospitals in Angola.
- PM Modi, highlighted the setting up of Janaushadhi units along with the possibility of supplying medicines and pharms products in Africa
ii.MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture:
- Under this MoU, India’s entrepreneurial support to grow food crops in Angola and agricultural equipment, tractors, seeds and various technology will be provided.
iii.MoU for cooperation in the domain of culture :
- A Cooperation Programme between Government of India(GoI) and Republic of Angola in the domain of culture for the period 2025-29.
- Under this partnership, a Youth Exchange Programme will be started to strengthen people-people relations.
Angola signed ISA Framework Agreement:
Republic of Angola joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement and became the 123rd member of the ISA, with a commitment to expand its Renewable Energy(RE) initiatives.
- It signifies Angola’s dedication to clean energy and India will share its expertise in solar technology and digital infrastructure to support Angola’s energy transition.
About International Solar Alliance (ISA):
The ISA is a collaborative initiative between India and France aimed at combined efforts to combat climate change by implementing solar energy solutions. It was founded on the side lines of COP21 in Paris in 2015. Its mission is to reach USD 1 trillion in solar investments by 2030 while reducing technology and financing costs.
Director General(DG)– Ashish Khanna
Headquarters – Gurugram, Haryana
About the Republic of Angola:
President – Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco
Capital – Luanda
Currency – Angolan Kwanza (Kz)
