Africa-Press – Angola. Funding in the order of 200 million dollars will allow the beginning of the implementation of the basic infrastructures of the first phase of the Free Trade Zone of Barra do Dande.
The financing agreement was signed this Thursday, in Rome, Italy, and should “open doors” for the start of the project, later this year, with Italian partners, according to the Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu.
The Barra do Dande Integrated Development Free Zone is located in the commune of Barra do Dande, Bengo province, and is part of the State Land Reserve.
It will be located in a total land area of 5,465 hectares, and is located 40 kilometers northeast of Luanda and 30 kilometers west of Caxito.
In 2021, Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande, SA Sociedade Anónima, in the public domain, was set up in order to manage and operate this project.
The creation of an Integrated Development Terminal in Barra do Dande and its Free Zone aims, among other things, to guarantee food and energy security and the economic and industrial development of the country.
Attracting investors to Angola
As part of the Italy-Angola Economic Forum, which took place this Thursday in the Italian capital, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mário Caetano João, highlighted the importance of cooperation with the southern European country.
Speaking to the press, the Angolan official said that it was
in Angola’s interest to deepen the economic partnership with Italy.
“We (Angola) have a positive trade balance with Italy, based on the export of petroleum products, around 90 percent”, noted the minister.
What we want, continued Mário Caetano João, is to diversify these exports with some products from the extractive sector in the wood and ornamental stone sectors.
Regarding the pharmaceutical sector, the Minister of Economy and Planning said that it was Angola’s strategy for Italy to use the country as a revolving platform for the SADC region and Central Africa. The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Cuanza Norte, Nádia Patrícia, considered Thursday, in Ndalatando, capital of Cuanza Norte province, that holding the National Production Fair constitutes a vector of sustainable development in the region.
According to the official, who was speaking during the opening of Expo-Cuanza Norte, the 5th edition of the event, held at a typical moment for the national economy and the market and with the spirit of business, finance and brotherhood, is clear proof of the unity of entrepreneurs , producers and organizers of events.
National and local production, he considered, constitutes the characteristic theme of Expo-Cuanza Norte, due to the fact that agriculture is the decisive factor in the development of the country and the province, in a peculiar way, which has arable land, allied with the mechanical and transforming industry .
He specified that the productive sector represents the green industry, but that does not mean that the provision of services and general trade are not part of the event.
He stated that with the holding of Expo-Cuanza Norte, the provincial government is concerned with the growth and organization of the private sector, leaving local businessmen with greater organization, fiscal commitment and focus on the very competitive business market.
He appealed to businessmen in the province to take advantage of all the business opportunities that the event will provide.
The event organized by the company C-Calas Angola, aims to demonstrate the agricultural potential of the province.
Around 250 exhibitors participate in the fair, of which 150 are from the productive, livestock, industrial, agribusiness and culture sectors, as well as 100 from the catering sector, among others.
The provinces of Malanje, Uíge, Luanda and Cuanza Sul are participating in the event, which ends on Sunday with a gala honoring the best exhibitors.
Mário Caetano João welcomes the Angola-Italy partnership in the agro-industry sector, having explained that the European country is among the world’s largest producers of machinery in this field.
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