Governor of Bayelsa state, Douye Diri, has advocated economic cooperation among states in Africa.

Governor Diri said such cooperation would promote African unity, boost the economies of the sub-nationals as well as reduce the economic dependence on the Western world. 

The Bayelsa governor stated this weekend during a meeting with the governor of the Province of Namibe in Angola, Mr. Archer Mangueira.

He said Bayelsa and Namibe shared similarities as coastal states bordering the Atlantic Ocean and that both states could benefit from areas that they had 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 round exploring the opportunities of collaboration in this sector.

Diri said: “We have discovered that 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 relationship 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.”