Luanda - The Angolan Government continues to work harder for the country to enter the Free Trade Zone (ZCL) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with the strategy of broadening the economic diversification.
According to the Secretary of State for Industry, Carlos Rodrigues, Angola's entry in the regional and global context represents a strategic option by the Executive for expanding economic relations, constituting, at the same time, an objective of the country.
Speaking at the 2nd International Trade Forum Angola-2024, held on Thursday, in Luanda, he defended the creation of a stable framework for regional commercial integration, supporting Angolan companies to take advantage of trade agreements.
He recalled that Angola is already part of the international trade system, and through this means it has access to the privileged platform that allows it to trade with several countries around the world.
To increase business volume, as an example, he recalled that, on March 21, 2018, the agreement creating the Continental Free Trade Zone was signed, at the 10th summit of heads of State and Government of the African Union, providing access to the largest free market in the world, with 1.4 million consumers and a combined peak of 2.6 trillion dollars.
For her part, the Secretary of State for Commerce and Services, Augusta Fortes, pointed out, as one of the main concerns, the excess of documents requested for export.
For the change of paradigm, he made it known that the Government has taken measures to simplify and reduce bureaucracy in processes, with the creation of several platforms, announcing soon the implementation of the Single Window for Foreign Trade, in which requests for the process will be sent of exports and reduce human intervention, thus moving towards digitalization.
She added that the measure was taken at the Facilitation Committee, with the presentation and approval of a model, but still needs to be taken to the Council of Ministers for approval.
For the representative of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dalâ Martim, trade facilitation is essential to achieve several objectives that Angola has proposed, especially the diversification of exports and markets, which is also an agenda of the institution it represents, since 2003.
She mentioned that all countries, regardless of development, always have the possibility of simplifying procedures relating to foreign trade.
Under the motto “The challenges for facilitating trade in Angola”, the 2nd International Trade Forum Angola-2024 addressed two panels, which reflected the theme “Current Context of Foreign Trade in Angola” and “Elimination of Barriers to Foreign Trade”.
The event, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in partnership with the “Academia Nova Aduaneira e Tributária” (ANAT), was attended by an expert from the World Trade Organization, members of the Government and representatives of the most varied bodies involved in the sector. ML/QCB/DOJ
