Angola marks 51 years of independence and 50 years of ties with Egypt at Cairo reception

Angola’s ambassador to Egypt, Maquento Sebastião Lopes, credited Presidents João Lourenço and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with giving a significant boost to relations between the two countries in recent years, at a reception in Cairo on Wednesday marking the 51st anniversary of Angola’s independence and 50 years of diplomatic ties with Egypt.

• A day of commemoration
• Egypt eyes investment
• A shared history

Through regular contact and dialogue at the highest level, the two leaders had strengthened political trust and identified new areas of mutually beneficial co-operation, Lopes said, citing their shared views on Africa’s development, peace and stability on the continent and African economic integration. He pointed to the institutionalisation of the Angola-Egypt Bilateral Commission as concrete evidence of a shared will to turn strong political relations into tangible benefits for both peoples.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in February 1976, three months after Angola’s independence from Portugal on 11 November 1975. Lopes said their friendship predated formal ties, recalling Egypt’s support, grounded in pan-Africanism and self-determination, for national liberation movements across Africa.

In the 51 years since independence, Angola had achieved and consolidated peace, strengthened its institutions, rebuilt the country and expanded access to education and health care, while playing an increasingly important role in promoting stability and security in Africa, he said.

With Africa accelerating economic integration, Lopes said Angola and Egypt were well placed to build strategic partnerships in agriculture, industry, infrastructure, transport, energy, water and mineral resources, technological innovation and training. “The complementarity of our economies and the quality of our political relations offer solid foundations for an even more promising future,” he said.

A day of commemoration

The celebrations were held under the slogan “United for a Democratic, One and Indivisible Angola”, which the ambassador said expressed Angolans’ commitment to national unity, democracy, the rule of law and the defence of the country’s sovereignty. He paid tribute to the founders of the Angolan nation and to the statesmen, diplomats, academics, business people and citizens of both countries who had built the relationship.

The reception, held at a Cairo hotel, was attended by members of the Egyptian government, the diplomatic corps, academics, students, business people and members of the Angolan community in Egypt. The embassy screened a 10-minute documentary, “Angola and Egypt: 50 Years Building the Future”, on the history of relations between the two countries.

Earlier in the day, Lopes and other Angolan diplomats laid a wreath at the monument to António Agostinho Neto, Angola’s first president, in Heroes’ Park in Zamalek. The bust was unveiled in September as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

Egypt eyes investment

Speaking on behalf of Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Ambassador Khaled Aref, Egypt’s deputy assistant foreign minister for Southern Africa, congratulated President João Lourenço, his government and the Angolan people, saying that since 1975 Angola had written “a remarkable story of resilience, unity and progress”.

Aref said Egypt was encouraging its companies to invest in Angola in infrastructure, housing, urban development and agriculture, and hoped Egyptian oil and gas companies would enter the Angolan market. Egypt had long experience in building gas networks and would be glad to share it with Angola, the official said.

The speech highlighted a busy period in relations. In early October, Lourenço co-chaired with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the summit of the founding states of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) at the Alamein Africa Forum, and took part in the African Union’s mid-year co-ordination meeting in New Alamein.

A shared history

Aref also referred to the Agostinho Neto monument, describing it as having a lasting place in the heart of the Egyptian capital. The two countries signed a cultural co-operation agreement in Cairo in September.

The official recalled the two peoples’ shared love of football and the Angolan players who have won over Egyptian fans, and said the friendship between Egypt and Angola went beyond diplomacy and economic partnership.

The official closed with a toast to Egyptian-Angolan friendship and to African unity.