Angolan Government is working on strengthening partnership with the Czech Republic aimed to attract investment, increase production and agro-food processing.
The country intention was expressed by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mário Caetano João on Wednesday.
The minister was speaking at a business forum between the Czech Republic – Angola, sponsored by the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX).
He said the Czech businesspeople can invest in Angola in irrigation systems, production of seeds and fertilizers.
“We are not talking in a generic way, we are also talking about mobility, from the assembly of trucks, electrical (public transport), which can be assembled in the Special Economic Zone. We are also talking about the agribusiness industry and other investments that are made in Angola”, he highlighted.
He is of the view that Czech businesspeople can also help boost the process of replacing thermal energy sources with clean sources “as are the cases of wind and solar”.
The Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock, João Cunha, said that Angola also seeks investment from the Czech Republic in grains (corn, rice, wheat and soy), tropical fruits, exploration and local transformation of wood and agricultural mechanization.
In turn, the Secretary of State for Commerce, Amadeu Nunes, said there is conditions for the entrepreneurs to set up their industries in the country and explore the potential of the entire region of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), benefiting from the comparative advantages that the country presents.
The CEO of the Board of Directors of the Angolan Debt and Values Exchange (BODIVA), Walter Pacheco, in his speech, spoke of the opportunities in the privatisation programme and the evolution of the Angolan stock exchange.
Whereas, the Director of International Relations of the Confederation of Industry in the Czech Republic, Lucas Martin, said that the covid-19 pandemic had prevented personal contact with Angola.
He defended the need to make up for the lost time and resume this relationship between the Czech Republic and Angola.,
“We are going to mobilise our associates and introduce them to potential partners in Angola”, assured Lucas Martin.
The Executive Director of the ZEE, Adriano Celso Borja, said that he established contacts so that “companies can participate in the infrastructure of new lots, with electricity, and for the installation of the manufacturing units in the ZEE”.
According to Celso Borja, the businessmen “expressed interest in participating in the upcoming Filda 2023 Edition next July to display their potential in their areas and getting to know the Special Economic Zone”.
The ZEE’s manager said “the entrepreneurs of the energy sector guarantee that in the next three months they will mobilise more partners to develop the paths for infrastructure in the reserve of Viana-based ZEE”.
The AIPEX CEO Lello Francisco, stressed that events of the kind should be intensified in order to help publicise the Angolan market.
Angolan delegation has been visiting the Czech Republic since Monday,
Angola and the Czech Republic intend to reinforce bilateral cooperation in the areas of investment, defence, trade and exchange of visits at the highest level.
Currently, the two countries are negotiating legal instruments such as the agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service passports, the memorandum of understanding on political consultations and the agreement on economic and industrial cooperation.
Angola and the Czech Republic established political-diplomatic ties on January 1, 1993. In 2006, the two states signed a memorandum of understanding and a cooperation programme for development.
Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)