Africa-Press – Angola. The Barra do Dande Integrated Development Free Zone (ZFDIBD) could reach between 1.5 and 2.0 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next 10 years and allow, in an initial phase, the creation of 21 thousand direct work, announced Tuesday(1), in Luanda, the Secretary of State for Civil, Maritime and Port Aviation.
Emílio Londa gave the opening speech at the presentation meeting of the Zona Franca da Barra do Dande with public and private investors.
On the occasion, he stressed that, in terms of GDP, it will be achieved with the execution of five main industrial areas to be developed in the place, namely, storage, food processing, metalworking, assembly and auto parts, solar panels and alternative energies.
Located in the commune of Barra do Dande, province of Bengo, it is part of the State’s land reserve, being managed by Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande, SA (SDBD). It has around 5,465 hectares and an investment in infrastructure of around US$600 million (currently 275 billion kwanzas) from the State and a private investment component of approximately US$950 million (435 billion kwanzas) .
Emílio Londa said that phase 1 of this project will cover 860 hectares, approximately 16 percent of the total area allocated to the concession granted.
Still on phase 1, the Secretary of State recalled that in July of this year, under the guidance of the Holder of the Executive Power, a Public Tender for Prior Qualification was launched for the sub-concession of part of the components of the Port Terminal, of the Reserve Cereals National Park, the Food Oil Refinery and the Renewable Energy Park.
With these skills, Emílio Londa recognizes that there are two challenges in his hands. Firstly, to demonstrate everyone’s capacity and resilience to create structuring projects and to transform the national business fabric, attracting knowledge, technology and capital to the country. Second, to maintain the focus on the development of national human capital and on the living conditions of the populations, through personal development, healthy and effective inclusion of all, in particular the youth.
“Angola’s progress will be more balanced and sustainable if we know how to prioritize and promote the local skills of workers, through training. In this sense, the creation of a Center for Innovation, Technical-Professional Training and Technological Development will be an essential and differentiating instrument for this project”, he defended.
Emílio Londa recognizes that this is a project whose risks must be properly mitigated, but whose potential represents a real institutional challenge, whether due to the need for transversality and alignment, or the ability to create the right conditions for Angola to compete internationally in attracting foreign investment, in the development of local skills, which accompany and retain the talent of the staff.
Completion of the Free Zone
The chairman of the Board of Directors of Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande SA (SDBD), Joaquim Piedade, assured that the conclusion of the first phase of The Free Zone of Integrated Development of Barra do Dande (ZFDIBD) is scheduled for 2027.
According to Joaquim Piedade, Barra do Dande is a privileged location, motivated by the fact that there are already anchor projects in the region that can serve as support, such as the Oceanic Terminal, which is developed by the National Fuel Society of Angola (Sonangol), a initiative that will address fuel safety.
Another project being carried out on a private initiative is the Industrial Unit, which currently exports ceramics to the Democratic Republic of Congo region and also produces real estate equipment, a brand not yet known in the market.
The aforementioned manufacturing unit occupies an area of 400 hectares and has four assembly lines, of which only two are in operation because they need more energy and water, in order to guarantee greater production capacity.
In order to further boost the implementation of on-site projects, Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande SA (SDBD) plans, by 2025, to have its headquarters ready on site, and at that time it is still expected that a set of infrastructure whose works are also in progress.
One of the infrastructures that will also attract public and private investors to the site is the “Guiché Único do Investidor”, which will provide services for commercial and notary registration, licensing of commercial and industrial activities, transport and logistics, licensing of environmental and tourism, licensing of allotment activities, urban planning and construction, social security and the Migration and Foreigner Services.
For more investors to join the project, Joaquim Piedade said that it is focused on administrative issues, since there is a set of special regimes provided for in the Free Zone in which only the inspector is approved.
The issues of the exchange rate, migration, labor and other support regimes for investors interested in investing in the Free Zone are also key fundamental aspects to be resolved.
“We have presented the project to the national and international community and participated by invitation in several investment forums aimed at Africa”, he guaranteed.
Pre-qualification
tender Regarding the current public tender for the four components of these projects, Joaquim Piedade explained that the deadline for submitting proposals is November 15th of this year.
The tender in question, he explained, provides the core components of the project, namely, the Maritime Port Terminal, the Strategic Food Reserve, the Food Oil Refinery and the Photo Voltaic Park for Renewable Energies, main strategic studies of the free zone.
“It is a prior qualification contest in which candidates must demonstrate the technical and financial capacity to develop a project of this magnitude”, he stressed, noting that there are already national and foreign competitors, with greater emphasis on national investors.
Accessibility and infrastructure
With regard to accessibility and infrastructure, the Barra do Dande Development Society has in its portfolio a concrete proposal from a still anonymous investor who intends to invest more than 13 million dollars in Estrada Nacional no 1001.
On the investment Joaquim Piedade underlined that the process takes place between the parties, and that his institution will be able to compensate the investor who took the initiative.
According to Joaquim Piedade, one of the alternatives for a road to have toll is the existence of an alternative route and in the case of Estrada Nacional 1001, there is an alternative. As an example, he said, anyone who wants to go to Soyo can do so via Caxito.
“Whoever invests in the road can make this investment profitable”, he stressed, noting that the financing is a pure marriage of public-private partnership and the difference in the project is to attract investments to areas that are traditionally seen as State reserves.
As for the basic infrastructures, the internal ones are the responsibility of the Company and the external ones are the responsibility of the Government.
In this context, Joaquim Piedade said that the company he directs has captivated numerous construction companies to believe in the process, especially those that already exist in the country.
“We have a contract of 30 years and another 25 that will allow us to recover the investment. Therefore, we believe that we will implement them in this perspective”, he concluded.
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