African ambassadors assess Lobito Port's valences

 Lobito - A group of 15 African ambassadors accredited to Angola visited the Lobito Port, in centre-west Benguela Province, on Tuesday, where they got acquainted with its organization and operational capacity, ANGOP has learned.

The objective was to get information on the advantages of using this important infrastructure in the Lobito Corridor, to take to their countries and attract investors to carry out commercial exchanges with Angola.

 

On the occasion, they were shown an institutional video that mirrors the organization of work, compliance with international rules and cargo movement, while on the ground they saw the conditions of the multipurpose terminal (general and containerized cargo).

 

At the end of the visit, the counsellor at the Zambian Embassy, Rostec Rapaya, said that this visit is important for all African countries, particularly his, due to economic interests within the scope of the Lobito Corridor and beyond.

 

He recalled that President Hakainde Hichilema visited this port last year and managed to identify some areas where there could be cooperation between Angola and Zambia.

 

He also added that the port of Lobito is one of the safest in Africa and encourages people to have the necessary confidence to cooperate with Angola and promote tourism.

 

Asked about the construction of the railway branch that connects Ruacano (Moxico Province) to the border post in Jimbe (Zambia), Rostec Rapaya said that a memorandum has already been signed, assuring that steps are being taken, so there will be news regarding this issue in the near future.

 

To the ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique, Osvalda Joana, the Lobito Port is an infrastructure of great use for Africa and the world, which is probably not being well explored.

 

"If all of us exploited it properly, we would be contributing to the development not only of Angola, but of Africa, as it would reduce costs and facilitate the transportation of goods and people. It is something that we are going to study to find ways to fit into the development of South/South cooperation", she opined.

 

This event was followed by a visit to Carrinho Group, a private company incorporated under Angolan law with an industrial complex located in the neighbourhood of Taka (Benguela).

 

It has 17 factories with the capacity to process more than two million tons of raw materials, producing over 20 basic basket products.

 

The diplomats were also honoured with a tour of the Municipality of Catumbela, with emphasis on the Forte de São Pedro, built on top of a hill, in a dominant position on the bank of the Catumbela river.

 

They expressed interest in visiting other provinces in the country, with Namibe (south-west) as their next destination. Their return is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

Ambassadors from Gabon, Morocco, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Guinea Conakry, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and São Tomé and Príncipe were present in the activity.