The Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola, Constantin Mayiba, has underscored the need to deepen bilateral cooperation, focusing primarily on the economic, commercial, and transport sectors.
At a meeting with the Speaker of the Angolan National Assembly, Adão de Almeida, in Luanda, the diplomat, also cited progress in fishing and hydrocarbons, and welcomed new air connections between Luanda and Kinshasa as tangible signs of rapprochement, Angola Press Agency reported on September 7.
He also praised parliamentary ties and thanked Angola’s National Assembly for its supportive stance on the security situation in eastern DRC, describing it as an expression of fraternity between the two countries.
This diplomatic tone follows a high-level push in late August, when Presidents João Lourenço and Félix Tshisekedi met in Kinshasa and instructed their governments to accelerate joint energy projects. The two leaders focused on three pillars: operationalizing the Zone maritime d’intérêt commun (ZIC), finalizing arrangements for Angola’s state oil company SONANGOL to supply the DRC, and advancing electricity interconnections, with particular attention to Grand Katanga.
The ZIC, centered on offshore Block 14/23, has been a long-running file, but 2026 has seen decisive steps: legal instruments have been ratified, joint management bodies created, and on July 22 the hydrocarbon ministers signed an amendment to the production-sharing contract intended to make the framework operational. Under the agreed mechanism, revenues from exploitation—including bonuses, taxes and penalties—are to be split equally, 50% for each country.
Angolan President Lourenço indicated that joint oil exploitation could start in three to four years, underscoring that while the governance architecture is now in place, commercial production has not yet begun. For Kinshasa, the ZIC offers a route to participate more directly in petroleum activity near its coastline and to diversify revenue sources beyond mining.
On power, the presidents agreed to accelerate identified interconnection projects to improve reliability in Grand Katanga, a mining and industrial heartland where expanded electricity supply could benefit mines, processors, manufacturers and agribusinesses. Details such as exact routes, costs, financing and timelines have not yet been published, but the political directive is meant to move technical work forward quickly.
In parallel, both sides are pushing to finalize arrangements for SONANGOL to supply petroleum products to the DRC, a step that could diversify fuel-import channels and reinforce regional energy integration. These energy moves are being coordinated alongside broader infrastructure initiatives, including the Lobito Corridor, where a $1.258 billion railway concession was signed during the same visit, linking transport capacity to energy availability.
