BD, Angola eye long term oil and gas coop
Bangladesh and Angola have held their first-ever high-level bilateral meeting on energy cooperation, marking a new step toward a structured partnership in crude oil, gas, and investment flows between the two countries.
The virtual dialogue, convened on Friday at Bangladesh’s initiative, brought together senior officials and state energy executives from both sides, including representatives from petroleum and power agencies, along with diplomatic envoys.
The Bangladeshi delegation, led by the Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, outlined the country’s rising energy demand and its strategic push to diversify imports beyond the Middle East.
Officials proposed a long-term government-to-government framework to stabilise future supply arrangements and reduce exposure to external market volatility. Bangladesh also invited Angola to send a technical delegation to Dhaka for formal negotiations, while expressing readiness to dispatch its own team to Luanda to advance discussions.
Both sides agreed on the need to fast-track a Memorandum of Understanding to institutionalise cooperation.
The Angolan side, led by Minister of State for Oil and Gas José Alexandre Barroso, presented an overview of its expanding energy sector, including current crude output of around 1.1 million barrels per day and upcoming refinery projects aimed at boosting domestic processing capacity.
Angola also highlighted its LNG export potential and ongoing development of upstream and downstream gas assets.
Luanda signalled strong interest in attracting foreign investment across its energy value chain, while also exploring new export markets in Asia.
Officials welcomed the proposed cooperation framework and said they would review Bangladesh’s draft MoU.
Both delegations described the talks as constructive, noting a clear convergence of interests: Bangladesh’s need for diversified and reliable energy supplies, and Angola’s drive to expand its global energy partnerships.
The two sides agreed to maintain technical-level engagement to translate the dialogue into concrete agreements in the coming months.
