António Henriques da Silva

It is known that AIPEX plays a fundamental role in the diversification of the economy, by attracting more private investment to priority sectors, promoting exports, supporting existing investors, thus contributing to the improvement of the business environment, competition and productivity. As a reflection, we can conclude that, in the last five years, the Angolan Government faced many challenges, but also demonstrated immense resilience and pragmatism, with the adoption of relevant policies and strategies to attract Private Investment, thus signaling its openness to it, with emphasis on:

• The development of a legal legal framework, through a private investment law that promotes national interests and provides favorable conditions for investors;
• Increased participation in international agreements, centered on resolving issues related to Foreign Direct Investment;
• Support for the materialization of strategic economic programs, such as PROPRIV, PRODESI, PLANAGRÃO, PLANAPESCA, which aim to transform the economy into a growth model, led by the private sector, based on economic diversification and industrialization;

At the political level, the fight against corruption is highlighted as one of the main commitments assumed by His Excellency President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, still at the beginning of his first term, the results of which are widely known and recognized by the international community.

The Angolan government is repositioning itself to ensure long-term sustainable development, based on principles of good governance, economic diplomacy and regional industrialization.

Our country is geo-strategically very well positioned to boost the diversification and structural transformation of Angola and neighboring African economies and become a preferred gateway for trade, transport and tourism.

These and other reforms already show positive results that have allowed a significant change in the international perception of Angola, the image of the country abroad has changed, which is reflected in the improvement of the classification of some ratings and international indices such as those of competitiveness and transparency, highlighting other indicators such as:

• Moodys upgraded Angola’s rating to B3 and the outlook is positive;
• The World Bank predicts that the Angolan economy will grow by 3% in the coming years; AIPEX is today a strategic partner of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), being represented through its Chairman of the Board of Directors, on the Global Advisory Board, and we are honored and recognize the importance of this community, the relevance of economies and trends member states, set to help support inclusive societies, sustainable development and good governance that are aligned with the priorities of the Angolan government.

Angola is open to investment and seeks partnerships with foreign and national investors to work together. I would like to extend our gratitude to our current investors who continually support our mission as a country.

We believe that the economy is visibly changing, with a growth model led by the private sector, allowing AIPEX from 2018 to date to register 535 projects valued at USD 10,778 Million (ten thousand, seven hundred and seventy-eight million US dollars), of which 217 are from the industrial sector (40%), valued at USD 7,122 million, maintaining a growing trend in terms of the number of projects registered in that sector. Contextualizing it is also worth mentioning that in terms of its origin we have a greater variety of countries, with 51 in 2022 compared to 8 including Angola in 2018.

We recognize the importance of dialogue on the growth and elevation of the Angolan economy, and we believe this to be one of the most appropriate forums, with the presence of all (members of the government, the diplomatic corps, national businessmen, foreigners, public institutions, etc.), we look forward to looking forward to today’s activities and, in particular, the engagement with our esteemed investors.

We count on your continuous efforts to help us improve the business environment, and on your partnership in the development of Angola.

A special thanks to the TBY Project Director in Angola, Mrs. Johana Rincón and her team at The Business Year, for their dedication and diligence in carrying out this activity and we look forward to the development of similar projects for the future.