Luanda: The Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, said on Tuesday that the inauguration of the Opaia Motors car assembly factory is a strategic decision for productive autonomy and a milestone in consolidating the national capacity to respond to the challenges of mobility in Angola. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the industrial unit, located in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE), Icolo e Bengo province, the minister stressed that mobility is a central factor in economic competitiveness, social cohesion, quality of life, and national sovereignty, arguing that no country can structurally overcome this challenge without having internal capacity for the production and assembly of means of transport.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Ricardo de Abreu emphasized that the installation of the factory in the ZEE reflects a strategic choice, allowing the recovery and rehabilitation of existing industrial infrastructure, shortening the project implementation time, increasing efficiency, and ensuring economic rationality. The minister said that the solution was made possible within the scope of the Privatization Program (PROPRIV), which has allowed the appreciation of public assets and the generation of productive investments and jobs.
The minister highlighted that the Opaia Group's bus, light vehicle, and commercial vehicle assembly plant goes beyond a simple industrial investment, providing the country with internal capacity to ensure collective mobility, reduce external dependence, and guarantee a sustainable response to the needs of the National Transportation System, in a context of demographic growth and urban expansion. Ricardo de Abreu stated that the pressure on the sector cannot be resolved solely through planning or the one-off acquisition of fleets, but through installed production capacity, continuity of supply, and a robust national value chain. In this sense, he considered the Opaia Motors unit a clear sign that Angola "knows how to plan, execute, and is focused on results."
The minister also announced that, with the revision of the specific regulations for the automotive and component business, the government will introduce incentives and protection mechanisms for the assembly and manufacturing of vehicles in Angola, arguing that preference for what is produced in the country, by both public and private entities, will be crucial for the sustainable development of the national industry. The newly inaugurated unit, with the capacity to produce 1,000 buses and 22,000 light vehicles per year, is the first factory of its kind in the Special Economic Zone, which plans to increase to 3,500 jobs in the near future.