Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Angolan Bengo Province on cooperation in agriculture, mining and education.
Speaking shortly after the signing in Lafia on Tuesday, Sule said the MoU would have a significant impact on the people of Nasarawa State once implementation begins.
He explained that the state identified key areas of mutual interest after recognising the similarities between Nasarawa State and the Bengo Province.
The governor commended the technical teams for their hard work in identifying areas of interest and common ground between Bengo Province in Angola and Nasarawa State.
“As Her Excellency Dr Maria Nelumba, the governor of Bengo mentioned, the province has been greatly influenced by its proximity to Luanda, the national capital, same as Nasarawa state to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Considering our areas of comparative advantage such as mining, agriculture, oil and gas, education and health, we decided to cooperate in some of these sectors,” he said.
Sule noted that the State had identified areas where Bengo Province has advantages in agriculture, as well as areas where Nasarawa State holds greater strengths in the same sector.
He added that one of the most exciting outcomes of the engagement was the inauguration of the “One-Stop Shop Investment House” for Angolan investors seeking to invest in Nasarawa State.
Also speaking at the event, the governor of Bengo Province, Nelumba, said her delegation was in the State to sign an agreement covering key sectors of mutual interest.
Describing the signing as a historic milestone for both states, Nelumba said the necessary steps had been taken to achieve their shared goals.
She added that the agreement would advance both states in the areas of economic growth, environmental sustainability and social development.
“The signing of this agreement goes beyond the document itself; it reflects the brotherhood and solidarity between the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Angola.
“This agreement expresses our bilateral cooperation as two brotherly nations committed to achieving common goals,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Sule, alongside Nelumba, also inaugurated the One-Stop Shop Investment House, which houses the headquarters of the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA) and the Multi-Door Court in Lafia.
