Angola’s Sonangol Signs 2 Cooperation Agreements with America’s MIT

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol signed two agreements with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during a meeting presided over by Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas Diamantino Azevedo this week. The agreements seek to support the development of Angola’s natural and mineral resources by leveraging US research, innovation and technology.  

The first agreement, MIT Industrial Liaison Program (MIT-ILP), enables Sonangol to directly interact with MIT research areas to support projects across the energy, mining, engineering, construction and infrastructure industries. The second agreement, MIT Africa, will facilitate knowledge-exchange, staff training, joint research and academic mentoring. MIT Africa features two programs – Global Classroom and Global Teaching Labs – which allow Angolan educational institutions to collaborate with MIT. Among the institutions that will directly benefit are the Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tecnologias e Ciências and the Sonangol Research and Development Center.

“These agreements are more than protocols: they are commitments with concrete impact in the short, medium and long term, in the fields of advanced training, scientific research, technological development, energy transition, decarbonization and industrial innovation. I believe that Angola’s future is built on knowledge, serious partnerships and strategic vision,” Minister Azevedo shared.