Luanda - Mining industry, technologies, logistics and transport constitute the potential investment areas highlighted today by Botswana businesspeople, who have been in Luanda since Sunday, to study the Angolan market.
The Tswana delegation, led by the Executive Director of the Botswana Investment and Trade Center (BITC) – similar to Angola’s Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency - Anthony Sefako, is made up of six companies from different sectors of industrial and economic activity.
On the sidelines of a business meeting, held at the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), the head of the Tswana delegation, told the press that the meeting between businesspeople from Botswana and Angola aimed to explore business opportunities.
“The meeting served to solidify the existing relationship between both countries and promote partnerships between the Botswana investment company and the Angolan counterpart - AIPEX”, said the official.
Anthony Sefako said that his country has a wide range of experience in the mining industry and that Angola can take advantage of it.
On the occasion, the official presented Botswana's key export products as diamonds, animal byproducts, plastic products and medicines, with the mining sector being the fundamental sector of the economy.
In turn, the head of the Investment Promotion and Attraction Department at AIPEX, Bruno Baptista, said that the Angolan government has a project to privatize companies and State holdings.
Bruno Baptista pointed out as areas of investment in Angola the production of meat, cars, pharmaceutical products, textiles, agriculture, farming, cereal production, as well as minerals, with the main objective of increasing production and reducing imports.
AIPEX's director José Chinjamba said that the meeting arose as part of the contacts he has had with similar agencies and that there was an opportunity to arrange this meeting as there is a need for commercial exchange and partnerships between countries in the region, especially south/south countries.
“We are in the process, so it is expected that private companies and entrepreneurs in general can intervene and encourage exchanges between the two countries”, stated the manager, highlighting that Angola has a lot of potential in the mining and agricultural fields and Botswana also – a reality that facilitates partnerships in these areas.
Also participating in the meeting was the president of Angola's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIA), Vicente Soares, who on the occasion recognized the fact that Botswana is a nearby country and, as such, will reduce import costs in the act of partnerships.
“In Africa, unfortunately, we still have infrastructure or connectivity problems, which means that proximity does not always imply cost reduction, but I hope that happens”, he said.
To him, the possibility of national businesspeople being able to also invest in neighbouring countries is another advantage.
Vicente Soares lamented, on the other hand, the low presence of Angolan businesspeople at the meeting with the Tswanans, a fact that, in his opinion, does not represent the scale of the meeting and, therefore, called for the holding of a broader business forum.
The association leader pointed to the mining area in which Botswana has carried out very advanced work (in addition to selling diamonds, they cut them also), as well as the livestock sector, as they export meat to the European Union, for partnership.
Botswana is one of the most advanced countries in Africa, with an economy based on mining, especially diamond production. It has a diversified economy, which includes agriculture, tourism and services.
Botswana's economy registered a 5.8% growth in 2022.
The event is organized by AIPEX, the result of the intention expressed by BITC to bring companies together, in order to explore opportunities for investment, collaboration and to increase the trade balance between the two countries.
ML/PPA/CF/jmc
