Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has advocated economic cooperation between African countries. According to him, such cooperation will promote African unity, boost the economies of the sub-nationals as well as reduce the economic dependence on the Western world.

The governor stated this during a meeting with the Governor of the Province of Namibe in Angola, Archer Mangueira. He said Bayelsa and Namibe shared similarities as coastal states bordering the Atlantic Ocean and that both states could benefit from areas in which they had a comparative advantage.

Namibe has developed its marine economy to become the fishery hub of Angola and the southern African sub-region, with discussions between both leaders centred around exploring the opportunities for collaboration in this sector. Diri said: “We have discovered that the relationship between governments has not been very cordial across the continent of Africa.

We rather prefer to value our relationship with Europe and Asia. “Among presidents and governors, we have not related so well and I think that this kind of visit will address such relationships within us in Africa, particularly between states and countries.

Bayelsa has a whole lot of similarities with Namibe. Like your province, Bayelsa borders the Atlantic Ocean except that Namibe has low lands with a dual advantage of the Atlantic Ocean and the desert. “Bayelsa is at the heart of the Niger Delta, which is the oil-producing region of Nigeria, and like Namibe, it is also in the southern flank of our country.

The state is very rich in oil and gas, and, in fact, it is richer in gas than oil. “Like Namibe, we are also interested in fisheries because of our aquatic location and having the longest coastline in Nigeria, which has remained largely untapped and undeveloped.

“So, as we speak, our government is constructing roads to hit the Atlantic Ocean on three fronts in order for us to actually explore the ocean as you have done in Namibe. “From what we have seen, we can collaborate in fisheries, which is one area you can explore beyond Bayelsa.

“I have also seen that there is a developed and functional seaport here. “We are trying to develop a deep seaport at a place called Agge, and we are looking out for investors that have the potential and resources to actualise this. So we are interested in collaborating with you on that.”