Monday 14 / September / 2026
Muscat-- The upcoming state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the Republic of Angola marks a pivotal milestone in the trajectory of bilateral relations between the two friendly nations and in the Sultanate of Oman's relations with the countries and peoples of the world.
This visit, with its multifaceted dimensions, carries profound significance for the strengthening of partnerships across various domains, particularly in the economic and investment spheres, as the volume of trade exchange during the first half of 2025 reached approximately OMR 972,900 compared with some OMR1.31 million during the corresponding period of 2024. The trade balance during the first half of 2025 likewise recorded a surplus in favour of the Sultanate of Oman amounting to approximately OMR969,700 compared with some OMR1.17 million during the first half of 2024.
Omani exports to Angola during the first half of 2025 reached approximately OMR971,300 compared with some OMR1.24 million during the same period of 2024. Prominent among Omani exports to the Angolan market were parts for machines and apparatus for filtering or purifying liquids or gases, powdered milk not prepared for industrial use, electrical cables, propylene copolymers and polyethylene, while the foremost products imported from Angola to the Sultanate of Oman included electrical machines and apparatus with self-contained functions, rubber rings and gaskets and textiles with technical applications.
Registered investments with Angolan contributions in the Sultanate of Oman have witnessed growth in recent years, as the number of companies comprising contributions from the Republic of Angola rose from one company in 2023 and 2024 to four companies in 2025. The number of shareholders likewise increased from a single shareholder to six shareholders during the same period, and the total registered capital of these investments climbed from OMR24,000 in 2023 and 2024 to OMR74,000 in 2025, with full Angolan contribution to the capital recorded, according to data issued by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.
Companies with registered Angolan contributions in the Sultanate of Oman were distributed across the construction sector, professional, scientific and technical activities and wholesale and retail trade and the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. The energy and mining sectors stand out among the principal domains that could contribute to broadening the economic and investment partnership between the Sultanate of Oman and Angola, as the signing of the memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of energy, alongside the memorandum of understanding concerning the exploration of cooperation opportunities in financial and strategic initiatives, came within the endeavours aimed at developing the frameworks of economic cooperation between the two countries.
The private sector in both countries likewise has opportunities to increase the volume of trade exchange and diversify the base of goods and services exchanged, thereby enhancing the ability of companies to benefit from the promising markets in both nations.
In pursuit of strengthening financial cooperation between the two countries, the establishment of the African Bank of Oman was announced in the Angolan capital, Luanda, in April 2026, a step that contributes to supporting the movement of trade and investment between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Angola, facilitating the access of Omani companies to African markets, enhancing the economic presence of the Sultanate of Oman in Angola and opening new horizons for partnership between the private sectors of both countries.
The official visit of President João Lourenço of the Republic of Angola, to the Sultanate of Oman in December 2024 constituted a pivotal milestone in the trajectory of relations between the two countries, culminating in the signing of an agreement to acquire a stake in the Catoca and Luele mines in the Republic of Angola, alongside two memoranda of understanding; the first pertaining to cooperation in the fields of energy, and the second to the exploration of cooperation opportunities in financial and strategic initiatives.
Since the Angolan President's visit to the Sultanate of Oman, bilateral relations have witnessed sustained momentum through reciprocal visits by a number of officials, government entities, representatives of the private sector and state-owned companies in both countries, addressing various files of bilateral cooperation, reflecting the shared interest in following up on what was agreed upon and strengthening avenues of cooperation and investment.
In continuation of this momentum, and at the behest of His Majesty the Sultan, the Foreign Minister participated in the celebrations marking the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Angola, held in the capital, Luanda. These developments reflected a direction towards building a more diversified Oman-Angola partnership, one not confined to trade exchange but extending to investment, energy, mining, logistics and the productive and service sectors, thereby reinforcing common interests and bolstering opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.
Abdullah bin Nasser Al Rahbi, non-resident Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Republic of Angola, told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the Republic of Angola comes as the crowning achievement of a flourishing trajectory of bilateral relations between the two friendly nations, and within the framework of the endeavours exerted by His Majesty to broaden the horizons of relations with the various countries of the world, particularly with the friendly African states, stemming from His Majesty's conviction of the importance of openness to the world and of building bridges of communication and cooperation with the various nations and peoples.
The ambassador explained that the Sultanate of Oman is bound to the African continent by deeply rooted historical relations, linked over the course of centuries by trade and civilizational and cultural exchange, which lends Oman's relations with the African states a historical and humanitarian dimension, alongside shared political and economic interests.
He indicated that the Sultanate of Oman and Angola share a wide array of instruments and objectives, all aimed at reinforcing peace and stability and achieving development, welfare and prosperity for the peoples of the two friendly countries, noting that the Sultanate of Oman has succeeded, through Oman Vision 2040 and the activity of the Oman Investment Authority, in diversifying its economy.
The ambassador added that the same applies to Angola, which has become the third-largest diamond producer in the world and possesses vast expanses of agricultural land amounting in total area to some 1.250 million square kilometres, with a population of 39 million.
He affirmed that both the Sultanate of Oman and Angola believe in diplomacy, mediation and positive neutrality that reinforces peace and stability and affords an opportunity for development and prosperity. The two countries likewise embrace a foreign policy founded upon balance and political wisdom, which has bolstered Omani and Angolan credibility in mediation and diplomacy.
On the economic front, the ambassador said that this dimension receives considerable attention within the orientations of the Sultanate of Oman, within the framework of His Majesty's keenness to strengthen economic diversification and raise the capacity of the national economy for sustainable growth, an orientation that was and remains among the fundamental priorities of the renewed Omani Renaissance, and within the framework of the targets of Oman Vision 2040.
He added that Angola, in turn, possesses substantial economic potential and natural resources, alongside a promising market and a strategic location on the Atlantic coast of the African continent, which renders it an important partner in multiple economic and investment domains.
The ambassador noted that the Sultanate of Oman enjoys a strategic location on international maritime trade routes and possesses advanced infrastructure in ports and logistics services, alongside growing expertise in the energy sectors and the industries associated with them.
He added that Angola constitutes an indispensable corridor for access to Europe and the Americas, and possesses strategic ports such as Luanda and Lobito, which are connected to landlocked states in West and Central Africa through lengthy corridors and roads, such as the Lobito Corridor, which links the heart of Africa to its west via a railway being implemented with huge American and European investments, offering excellent opportunities for cooperation with Omani ports such as Duqm, Sohar and Salalah.
The ambassador added that in the ports and logistics services sector, partnerships linking Omani ports with Angolan ports could be explored, thereby enhancing the movement of trade and investment and opening new routes between the Gulf region and the African continent. He explained that in the domain of food security and agriculture there exist substantial opportunities for investment in agricultural production, food processing, storage and supply chains, alongside benefiting from modern expertise and technologies in this field.
He noted that the tourism sector could constitute a promising domain for cooperation, through the exchange of expertise, the encouragement of tourism investments, and the harnessing of the natural, cultural and historical endowments that both countries possess, adding that the mining sector represents an important domain for cooperation, particularly in light of the practical strides this sector has witnessed in relations between the two countries.
The ambassador explained that there is a new space for successful investment in Angola, manifest in the Angolan government's commencement of selling stakes in national companies to foreign investors, with this proportion potentially reaching 30 percent. He noted that these projects have become attractive to investments owing to the ambitious infrastructure plan, support for farmers to move towards modern agriculture in the agricultural domain, and the expenditure of some $8.5 billion on building tourism institutions and infrastructure to serve tourism, alongside the privatization of successful companies operating in the mining, energy, services and telecommunications sectors.
With regard to enhancing trade and investment exchange and the role of the private sector, the ambassador said there is a considerable opportunity to raise the level of trade exchange between the two countries, particularly as the current volume of trade remains below the level of available potential and opportunities. He explained that trade indicators point to growth in Omani exports to Angola over recent years, reflecting the existence of demand and opportunities that can be built upon and developed.
He noted that the launch of the African Bank of Oman in Luanda represents a qualitative and significant development in the march of economic relations between the two countries, as it provides an institutional and financial instrument that can contribute to facilitating the movement of trade and investment, furnishing financing channels for companies and investors, and enhancing communication between African and Omani markets.
The ambassador stressed the importance of the private sector keeping pace with these efforts through serious initiatives, and of viewing these movements as genuine opportunities for expansion and the diversification of markets and investments. The private sector must not wait for opportunity to come to it, but rather must take the initiative to seek it out, study it and enter into it, and must move from exploring markets to building investments, and from trade exchange to establishing long-term partnerships.
He affirmed that the government opens doors, prepares frameworks and provides bridges of communication, while it is the private sector that is able to enter through these doors with capital, expertise, initiative and the capacity for execution. He explained that this complementarity between the governmental role and the private role is what can transform political and diplomatic relations into sustainable economic interests and reinforce the economic and investment presence of the Sultanate of Oman in Africa and global markets.
On the future of Oman-Angola relations, the ambassador said he expects the state visit of His Majesty the Sultan constitutes a significant turning point in the trajectory of relations between the two countries, and to elevate these relations to a more advanced and expansive stage, particularly in light of the practical strides and shared understandings achieved in recent years.
He said that this state visit to the Republic of Angola represents an important milestone in the march of Oman-Angola relations, and an opportunity to establish a new phase of cooperation and partnership between the two friendly countries, serving their common interests and supporting the aspirations of their peoples towards greater development and prosperity.
On his turn, Faisal Abdullah Al Rowas, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), affirmed to ONA that the diverse potentials and resources with which the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Angola are endowed constitute a solid foundation for developing their economic relations and establishing effective partnerships that support economic diversification approaches and deliver mutual benefits.
He noted that the energy, mining, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, infrastructure and logistics services sectors offer broad avenues for joint action through the exchange of expertise and the development of investments that contribute to enhancing production and raising local value added.
He explained that the strategic location of the Sultanate of Oman, together with its ports, economic zones and advanced infrastructure, alongside Angola's resources and its important position on the African continent, create opportunities for integration, expansion of trade flows and access to new markets.
Al Rowas underscored the Chamber's keenness to consolidate private sector ties between the two countries, support the exchange of trade delegations and investment information, and encourage the establishment of sustainable projects that contribute to elevating bilateral economic relations.
These developments reflect a direction towards building a more diversified Oman-Angola partnership, one not confined to trade exchange but extending to investment, energy, mining, logistics and the productive and service sectors, thereby reinforcing common interests and bolstering opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.
