Photo: Collected

DHAKA, May 16, 2026 (BSS) – Bangladesh and Angola have held their first-ever high-level bilateral dialogue on energy cooperation, opening a new chapter in efforts to forge a long-term partnership in energy supply, investment and technical collaboration.

The landmark virtual meeting, held at Bangladesh’s initiative on Friday, brought together senior government officials and state energy entities from both countries for substantive discussions on crude oil and gas cooperation, supply arrangements and investment opportunities.

The Bangladesh delegation was led by the Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division and included senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, as well as top representatives of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Petrobangla.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria and concurrently accredited ambassador to Angola, Miah Md Mainul Kabir, also attended the meeting and highlighted the mission’s continued efforts to strengthen Bangladesh-Angola relations, according to a message received here today. 

The Angolan delegation was led by José Alexandre Barroso, Minister of State for Oil and Gas, accompanied by senior officials from Angola’s public energy sector. Angola’s ambassador to Nigeria also joined the discussions.

During the meeting, the Bangladesh side outlined the country’s growing energy demand and underscored its strategic priority of diversifying crude oil and gas imports beyond the Middle East to ensure long-term energy security.

Bangladesh expressed strong interest in establishing a government-to-government energy cooperation framework with Angola and invited an Angolan technical delegation to visit Dhaka at the earliest opportunity to begin formal negotiations.

The Bangladesh delegation also conveyed readiness to send a reciprocal technical mission to Luanda to advance discussions and urged the early finalisation of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding to provide an institutional framework for bilateral cooperation.

The Angolan side presented an overview of its energy sector, noting that Angola currently produces approximately 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day and is expanding its domestic refining capacity through two new refinery projects.

Angola also highlighted its LNG export capability and ongoing development of upstream and downstream gas infrastructure, while expressing strong interest in attracting foreign investment across the energy value chain.

The Angolan delegation welcomed Bangladesh’s proposal for closer cooperation and assured that the draft MoU would be reviewed and feedback provided at the earliest opportunity.

Both sides described the discussions as frank, constructive and forward-looking, acknowledging significant untapped potential in bilateral energy cooperation.

The two countries agreed to maintain sustained technical-level engagement to translate the strategic dialogue into concrete outcomes, reflecting Bangladesh’s pursuit of diversified and reliable energy sources and Angola’s ambition to expand export markets and attract international investment.