Trade between Namibia and Angola has declined, requiring both countries to translate their political ties into tangible economic benefits for their people.

The inaugural commission builds on the former Joint Commission of Cooperation to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments.

Key projects include the Baynes Hydropower Station, the Angola-Namibia Interconnector Project, the proposed One-Stop Border Post at Oshikango-Santa Clara, and discussions on extending the railway line from Oshikango into Angola.

The two countries are also exploring the extension of the Cafu Canal water infrastructure into Namibia to strengthen water security and support agriculture.

Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi explained that priority areas also include projects in sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture and water security account for the progress achieved thus far.

“When fully implemented, these initiatives have the potential to contribute significantly to the efforts of our two countries, to address the socio-economic challenges our people are confronted with daily. It is also worth highlighting, for the purpose of our deliberations today, the need to strengthen trade and investment between our two countries.”

Angola's Minister of External Relations, Téte António said more than 60 legal instruments have been established to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.

“The interconnection of our economies and our border communities call for us to develop initiatives, joint initiatives for mutual benefits. In this context, we are developing groundbreaking projects with a trans-border impact, which we would name the Hydro-power Project, which are aimed to strengthen energy and increase electricity and also presents an opportunity to transform a national resource for development and regional impact within SADC. which is an investment estimated at about N$25 billion.”

The ministerial session is expected to prepare recommendations for consideration by Presidents Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and João Lourenço during the presidential segment of the commission.