Norway and Angola established diplomatic relations on 31 October 1977. A permanent Norwegian Embassy was established in Luanda in 1998.
What started as popular movements in Norway for the independence of Angola in the 1970s, has become a vibrant and strong partnership. Angola is one of Norway’s most important economic partners in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even though Norwegian business presence is primarily related to the petroleum industry, investments have also been made in other sectors, including agriculture and logistics. Angola is an important market for Norwegian dried and salted fish. In the oil and gas industries, there is an increased demand for Norwegian technologies that contribute to decarbonization and low emissions. Norway is a strong supporter of Angola’s adhesion, in 2022, to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Norwegian development cooperation in Angola through the Embassy is limited and focuses on capacity building in the area of human rights, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, as well as capacity building of researchers and academics in various fields at the countries’ universities. The Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation (Norad) supports a number of civil society organizations in Angola through its agreements with Norwegian Church Aid. This provides technical assistance and capacity building to human rights organizations to enhance their impact. Norway is one of the largest contributors to Angolan civil society organizations. The Norwegian People's Aid is engaged in demining in various provinces. SOS Children's Villages Norway supports projects in rural parts of the country. Several Norwegian companies fund local projects in areas such as education, environment, and sport for young people.
Political consultations between the two countries’ foreign ministers are held at regular intervals. Since 2011, annual consultations with Angola have been conducted to discuss human rights in general, and in Angola and Norway in particular. In recent years, there have been several high-level visits, including the visit to Norway in November 2022 by HE President Jõao Lourenco, accompanied by a delegation of eight ministers.
In addition to promoting Norwegian economic and political interests in Angola, the Embassy also provides consular assistance to Norwegian citizens and information to foreign nationals who wish to visit or move to Norway.