Luanda: Angola will inaugurate its first serum manufacturer in November. Located in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE), the facility will have the capacity to produce approximately 7.5 million of 500-ml units, meeting nearly 40% of the country’s domestic consumption needs, said Adriano Celso Borja, the ZEE’s executive director, in an interview on Thursday.
According to Angola Press News Agency, this strategic investment aims to reduce dependence on imports, strengthen the national health system, ensure greater availability for the emerging hospital network, and respond to emergency situations in the country. Borja highlighted one of the ongoing structural projects: the construction of a business center. This center will capitalize on the internal value chain, promote the circulation of capital within the same perimeter, foster business, and encourage competitive prices. It will also gradually reduce dependence on imports of finished goods.
Borja, speaking at the ZEE’s 16th anniversary, said the institution surpassed its goal of 100 operational industrial units in the last quarter of 2024. “Today, the ZEE has 227 installed units, of which 129 are already fully operational. Another 98 are expected to begin operations by the first half of 2026, as producers overcome administrative constraints,” he said.
The ZEE controls a total of 129 manufacturing units, 91 of which are domestic and 38 of which are foreign. The ZEE produces foodstuffs, such as packaged milk, pasta, sausages, cookies, and candy; construction materials, such as pipes, galvanizing, and hot-dip galvanizing; animal feed; alcoholic beverages; and hygiene products. Borja stated that much of this product is exported to countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, thereby boosting the competitiveness of Angolan industries and the quality of “Made in Angola” products.
Adriano Borja highlighted Portugal as a destination for Angolan products, strengthening historical, cultural, and commercial ties and improving the quality of locally manufactured goods. He explained that Angolan product exports began in 2018, marking a new stage in the ZEE’s strategic positioning as a production platform geared toward regional and international markets, as well as the domestic one. The ZEE covers approximately 7,500 hectares, divided between two strategic reserves: a 4,700-hectare industrial reserve in Viana and a 2,800-hectare agro-industrial reserve in Uala.