French ambassador highlights agricultural investment opportunities in Angola

 Luanda - The French ambassador to Angola, Daniel Vosgien, points to Angola as a country of opportunity for agrifood investment.

Daniel Vosgien, who spoke this Thursday at the Angola/France Business Forum, which aims to launch a partnership between the private sector in the agri-food sector, urged companies in his country to invest in the vast lands available, totalling 58 million hectares, but only with an exploitation rate of 5 to 10 per cent.

 

In addition to arable lands, he recognizes the water potential and climatic conditions for good agriculture.

 

"The agricultural and food sector are the key sectors in which Angola and France can work to strengthen the Angolan economy and stimulate investment opportunities for French companies", considered the diplomat.

 

According to the French diplomat, the exchange held at the business forum between the two countries will make it possible to align the inventory of opportunities and needs in agricultural matters.

 

For Angolan companies, he said, this is an opportunity to present their agricultural subsidiaries to the specific needs of the sector, as well as the establishment of commercial partnerships, sharing of experiences and training.

"It is necessary for companies to become aware of the existing opportunities and the will of the authorities that are engaged in a bilateral partnership in this sector", underlined Daniel Vosgien.

 

On the same occasion, the secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock, João Manuel Cunha, took the opportunity to speak briefly about the National Plan for the Promotion of Grain Production (Planagrão), another opportunity available for private sector investment.

 

In addition to Planagrão, he also highlighted the availability of young labour and the favourable business environment.

 

The forum brings together 100 companies from Angola and France in the agrifood sector.

 

Representatives of financial institutions are also present, such as Banco de Fomento Angola (BFA) bank and (BPI) Public Investment Bank of France.

Endiama plans to increase diamonds carats output

 Luanda - Angola diamond company (ENDIAMA E.P) plans to increase its carats production to 12 million in 2023 to surpass the 9 million carats it produced in 2022, its CEO Ganga Júnior, said Thursday.

Ganga said that to achieve the expected goal, the company will need to improve the production structure of the mines already operating and launch new exploration projects. 

 

The ENDIAMA CEO, who was speaking on the sidelines of a working visit paid by officials of the Institute for Management of State Assets and Participation (IGAPE), said the transformation of small cooperatives into industrial activities is another challenge for 2023.

 

In terms of results obtained over the last five years, Ganga said in 2017 Endiama reported a loss of nearly 3.5 million US dollars, a scenario that has been improving substantially, taking into account that in 2021 it reached profits close to 80 million US dollars.

 

He explained that the profits were the result  of improved production and diamond sale, which made it possible to reach an annual 2 billion US dollars turnover in 2022, as compared to approximately 1 billion US dollars reached in 2018.

 

Ganga considered the implementation of the database on the country's diamond production an innovation that will make it possible to maximize the value chain of this mineral and increasingly improve the performance of producing companies and buyers.

 

However, the ENDIAMA CEO mentioned that it is a new process that requires a change in the current marketing policy, as it is a new institution and with little presence in countries producing this mineral.

 

Raimundo Santa Rosa, IGAPE director, on his turn, said there have been satisfactory improvements in Endiama's accounts compared to the previous period, after it sorted out almost all the company's reserves or liabilities.

 

Despite this, the official pointed out the definition and separation of the company’s core business as well as the consolidation of the accounts of its subsidiaries as the main challenges that Endiama needs to overcome in the near future.

 

"We see that Endiama has a set of activities that are not part of its core business, a fact that makes it difficult to clarify to the businesspersons interested in investing in this subsector, for example," Rosa said.

 

In relation to the privatisation of Endiama and Sonangol, the IGAPE director said the process of the two public companies is currently being prepared, which involves reorganizing them and adjusting their accounts to international standards.

 

Founded on January 15, 1981, Endiama is a national company dedicated to prospecting, exploiting and marketing diamonds.

 

It operates in Portugal as an exclusive operator and concessionaire in the management of the value chain of the diamond sub-sector.

Angola attends World Conference on Oceans

 Luanda – An Angolan delegation headed by the minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Carmen Neto, is taking part in the 8th International Conference on the Oceans, to be held on 2-3 of this month in the Republic of Panama.

According to a press release that has reached ANGOP, the conference running under the motto “Our Ocean” aims to seek consensus for a possible agreement to protect international waters and use satellite technology to combat illegal fishing.

 

The document noted that it is the first kind of conference to be held in a Central American country and it will analyse the new commitments in order to promote blue economy and the extension of the protected marine areas.

 

For this event with nearly 600 delegates from governments, companies and non-governmental organizations (NGO), they will also assess the several initiatives to reduce pollution, with plastics and other waste, as well as ending deep-sea mining and to finance marine protection projects.

 

The Angolan delegation is made up by the Angolan ambassador to Cuba and Panama, Maria Cândida Pereira Teixeira, the Marine Affairs director, Tânia Barreto, the deputy director of the Office of the Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sandra Pinheiro, and the minister's advisor, Reis Jamba, as well as diplomats from the Angolan Embassy in Havana, Cuba.

 

The event was created under the initiative of John Kerry, the former United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama´s term of office, who promoted in 2014 the World Conference on Oceans aiming to face environmental challenges, as well as to seek the sustainable development of the ecosystem.

European Union promotes business forum in Angola

 Cabinda – A business forum will be held in May, in the centre-west Benguela Province, by the European Union (EU), with the aim of encouraging investment by European companies and entrepreneurs in Angola.

The information was provided this Thursday by the European Union ambassador to Angola, Jeannete Seppen, who is on a two-day working visit to the northern Cabinda Province.

 

According to the diplomat, who met with the governor of Cabinda, Mara Quiosa, the European Union and Angola have a very strong partnership in the areas of economy, politics and cooperation.

 

“We are going to attract more European companies and businesspeople to invest in Angola”, said Jeannete Seppen who also announced that shortly it will be launched the second phase of the plan to support the “Formalisation Process of the Informal Economy” and the programme of Vocational Training in Agrarian Technical Schools.

French President begins visit to Angola

 Luanda - French President, Emmanuel Macron, arrived Thursday night in Luanda for an official visit at the invitation of Angola´s Head of State, Joao Lourenço.

The French President´s agenda will start Friday with a visit to the Coin Museum in Luanda City and also will close the France-Angola Business Forum that started Thursday.

The French Head of State will then go to the Presidential Palace for a private meeting with President João Lourenço.

At the Palace, the two heads of State are due to make statements to the press.

Emmanuel Macron will leave Luanda mid-afternoon on Friday.

Bilateral Relations

Angola and France established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1976.  The two countries have cooperation relations in several areas.

The cooperation between both countries has seen new developments after the official visit of President João Lourenço to France on May 28, 2018.

Within the framework of bilateral cooperation, over 70 French companies operate in this African country. Angola´s oil exports to France are around USD 400 million.

France intends to change and deepen trade relations with Angola, as part of the economic diversification underway in the country.

Priorities include issues linked to industrialisation, particularly in the logistics, distribution and agribusiness sectors.