Angola and Namibia have turned a presidential visit into a broader economic push, signing eight cooperation instruments as João Lourenço invited Namibia to invest in the Lobito refinery. At home, the Constitutional Court has overturned the MPLA's expulsion of a former Central Committee member, while UNITA is putting constitutional reform — and presidential term limits — back into the political debate ahead of 2027.
TODAY'S BRIEFING
- REGIONAL ECONOMY — Angola and Namibia sign eight agreements as Lourenço offers Namibia a stake in the Lobito refinery
- POLITICS — Constitutional Court overturns MPLA's expulsion of Valdir Cónego
- POLITICS — UNITA rejects any constitutional revision extending presidential terms
- INFRASTRUCTURE — Angola borrows €212.5m for 155km of the EN250 in Moxico
- HEALTH — Seven new mpox cases reported in Cabinda
Angola and Namibia push for deeper economic integration
Angola and Namibia signed eight cooperation instruments during President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's state visit to Luanda, including agreements covering fisheries and aquaculture, tourism and the creation of a one-stop border post at Santa Clara/Oshikango.
The visit also produced a potentially more consequential proposal. President João Lourenço said Angola has invited Namibia to become a shareholder in the Lobito refinery, the 200,000-barrel-a-day project under construction in Benguela. Lourenço said the refinery should eventually allow Angola to meet its own demand for refined fuels while supplying neighbouring countries, with shareholder countries receiving priority.
Sources: O País · Jornal de Angola · Lusa
The ambition is substantial, but the test will be in implementation: Angola and Namibia already have a long history of cooperation agreements, but actual projects such as Baynes have spent years moving more slowly than originally envisaged.
WHAT TO WATCH
Whether Namibia takes up the refinery offer — and whether this week's agreements produce concrete timetables for the Santa Clara/Oshikango border post, Baynes and electricity interconnection rather than another layer of bilateral commitments.
Constitutional Court overturns MPLA expulsion
Angola's Constitutional Court has annulled the MPLA's expulsion of Valdir de Jesus do Sacramento Cónego, according to a ruling reported by Novo Jornal.
The MPLA Central Committee expelled Cónego from the party and the committee in October 2025 over alleged serious violations of its ethics and disciplinary rules. Cónego challenged the decision, alleging procedural violations including restrictions on his legal representation, problems with deadlines and competence in the disciplinary proceedings, and failure to consider his written defence. The Constitutional Court upheld his appeal and annulled the sanction.
Source: Novo Jornal
