This article covers the diplomatic relationship between India and Angola: its background, visits at the level of heads of state and government, ministerial and parliamentary contacts, the agreements signed during those visits, and the two countries' dialogue mechanisms. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026.

Background

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, relations between India and Angola, which the brief calls one of the major oil producers in Africa, date back to the pre-independence era of Angola. The brief states that India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against Portuguese colonial rule until the country attained independence in 1975.

India established formal diplomatic relations with Angola in 1985. The brief states that Angola and India cooperate in various multilateral forums and have been supportive of each other's candidatures.

Visits from Angola at the highest level

President of Angola José Eduardo dos Santos visited India in April 1987, the first visit by an Angolan Head of State.

In October 2015, Vice President of Angola Manuel Vicente visited India for the 3rd India Africa Summit and held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and Information Technology and Communications.

President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco (PJL) visited India from May 2-4, 2025. The brief records this as the first state visit at the highest level between India and Angola after 38 years. He called on the President of India and held delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister. Three MoUs were signed:

  • MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture
  • MoU on Ayurveda and other Traditional Systems of Medicine
  • Cooperation Programme in Culture

President Lourenco also transited through Mumbai on 17-18 August 2025 on his way to Japan for the 9th Edition of TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), held from August 20 to 22, 2025.

Visits from India at the highest level

The first VVIP visit from India to Angola was made by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1986. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh met President Jose Santos on the sidelines of the G-8 meeting at L'Aquila, Italy, on July 10, 2009.

President Droupadi Murmu paid a State visit to Angola from 8-11 November 2025 at the invitation of President Joao Lourenco, and attended the 50th anniversary celebrations of Angola's independence. The brief records this as the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Angola. Two MoUs were signed during the visit, including one on cooperation in fisheries, aquaculture and marine resources.

Ministerial contacts

Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda visited India in May 2006. His successor, Georges R Chikoti, visited India in February 2011 to attend the India-LDC Ministerial Conference in New Delhi.

From the Indian side, the brief records the following visits and meetings:

  • Minister of State Dr. (Gen) V.K. Singh visited Luanda on 15 July 2015 as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to hand over the invitation for IAFS III, and called on Vice President Manuel Vicente.
  • Minister of State M.J. Akbar visited Angola on 15-16 March 2018 and held a bilateral meeting with Domingos Custodio Viera Lopes, Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities, on March 16, 2018. The MOU on ICT was signed during the visit.
  • EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and Angolan Foreign Minister Tete Antonio met on the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial meeting in January 2024 in Kampala, and of the G-20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in February 2025 in Johannesburg.
  • Secretary (Economic Relations) Shri Dammu Ravi attended the OACPS summit hosted by Angola from 8-10 December, 2022.
  • An Indian parliamentary delegation of 6 MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha attended the 147th Inter Parliamentary Union Assembly in Luanda from 23-27 October, 2023.

Joint Commission

On January 30, 2017, India and Angola signed an Agreement for the establishment of the Joint Commission. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Angola Téte António co-chaired the First India-Angola Joint Commission Meeting virtually on September 07, 2020.

The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and agreed to diversify the trade relations. Discussions included cooperation in health, pharmaceuticals, defence, agriculture, food processing, digitisation and telecom. MoUs on health and on cooperation between the diplomatic institutes were among those signed during the meeting.

Foreign Office Consultations

A Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations was signed during the visit of Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda to India on May 10, 2006. The 1st round of Foreign Office Consultations was held in Luanda on 11 August 2023, led by Additional Secretary (C&WA) Shri Sevala Naik Mude from the Indian side and the Secretary of State for External Relations from the Angolan side.