Luanda – Angolan president João Lourenço has expressed the country’s availability to cooperate with the Spanish authorities and business community, as part of the strengthening economic relations between the two countries.
Speaking at the Angola-Spain Business Forum on Wednesday, João Lourenço said that the two States should work together to structure financing for support exports.
The exports include products and technologies from Spain to Angola, in addition to operating existing credit lines or that may be created, for investments focused on the internationalisation and expansion of business in Angola.
President João Lourenço said he believed that good relations between the Heads of State of Angola and Spain would be fundamental in supporting business communities and creating wealth.
In his speech, in the presence of the King of Spain, Felipe VI, João Lourenço predicted for the current year the continuous growth of the Angolan economy.
"We do not want this growth trajectory to be interrupted", expressed the President of the Republic, underlining the fact that Angola is creating a favorable environment for national and foreign private investment.
The Angolan Head of State recalled that in recent years Angola has successfully developed a macroeconomic stabilisation programme, which resulted, among others, in balancing fiscal accounts, reducing inflation rates, normalising the foreign exchange market and stabilising the level of country's international reserves.
Today, the President of the Republic added, our exchange market functions normally and those who invest in Angola can expatriate their dividends freely and in a timely manner.
He added that the country's budget and current account balances have been in surplus since 2018, with the exception of 2020, due to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Head of State said it is the Angolan Government’s intention that the country's economy continues to obtain positive budgetary balances and, in this way, reduce the State's debt needs.
Spain is a country characterised by the existence of a very dynamic business sector with a high degree of internationalisation, recalled the Head of State.
Therefore, we believe that partnerships between companies from both countries can offer Angolan companies good opportunities to penetrate other markets and contribute to the speed up and diversification of our country's exports.
The agro-food industry, he said, is one of the most dynamic and strongest sectors of the Spanish economy, the products enjoy great international acceptance.
João Lourenço defended the establishment of partnerships between Angolan and Spanish producers in the fields of agri-food and pharmaceutical industry, as well as the creation of incentives for this purpose.
As for the fishing segment, the Statesman considered it important to reinforce cooperation in the sphere of fish processing and local production of fishing gear.
He pointed out the existing investment opportunities in the fields of mineral resources, manufacturing industry, commerce, energy and water, construction, transport, telecommunications, hotels and tourism.
President João Lourenço recalled that Angola has been developing, since 2019, a privatisation programme involving around 170 State assets.
"So far, more than 90 assets have been sold and awarded, through public tenders and bids on stock exchanges and private derivatives in Angola", he informed.
Among the privatised assets, the Angolan statesman highlighted agricultural undertakings, real estate, banks, breweries, textile units and industrial units installed in the Luanda/Bengo Special Economic Zone.
