Benguela - The Secretary of the President of the Republic for the Productive Affairs, Isaac dos Anjos, said Saturday that Benguela continues to be 'an attractive market', but warns that more pragmatism is needed in decisions so as not to 'scare away' investors.
Isaac dos Anjos was speaking in the city of Lobito, Benguela province, on the occasion of the opening of the 'BelleVue' hotel, with 22 T2, T3 and T4 apartments, in a private investment by Swiss-Angolan businessman Etienne Brechet.
After lamenting the difficulties that the Swiss-Angolan investor went through to complete this work, the Secretary of the Head of State for the Productive Sector praised the investment made in Lobito.
In his opinion, businesses attract more qualified people, demand more quality of investments and require pragmatic decisions [from the competent authorities], under penalty of 'scaring away investment'.
He took the opportunity to apologize for the difficulties the businessman had experienced during the construction of the hotel that opened in Restinga do Lobito five years later.
Isaac dos Anjos admits he was "surprised" to learn that the Swiss-Angolan businessman had been fighting for seven years to obtain authorisation to build this project in Restinga.
"Once the technical obstacles had been overcome, the building license was issued and, when the work was already on the fourth floor, new constraints were raised", he said adding that there was an embargo due to a judicial decision but it was only lifted two years later.
"Persistence and resilience drive the spirit and only an education forged with a missionary spirit allowed us to know how to wait and win by reason", he emphasized, in a clear reference to the entrepreneurial spirit of Etienne Brechet, who did not give up in the face of difficulties.
Recognizing the role of the governor of Benguela in the face of "litigation"
Isaac dos Anjos praised the way in which the provincial governor of Benguela, Luís Nunes, intervened to resolve the situation, thus enabling the work to be resumed and finalized.
"The governor of Benguela, with an entrepreneurial spirit, finally managed to sort out the situation and authorize the then administrator of Lobito, Evaristo Calopa Mário, to successfully complete the work," he acknowledged.
"But the situations we have been through in these lands of Benguela have been so difficult, just because we want to do work that can not be hidden", he said, declaring that another building has been erected, this time in Restinga, for those who do not believe.
He also pointed out that this work is in addition to the fifteen buildings built for the staff of the Port of Lobito, in the Luz neighbourhood, and the seven on the outskirts of Benguela city, in a project of 21, designed while he was governor of Benguela.
Isaac dos Anjos, who defends a business environment that is friendly to private investment, recalled that the works mentioned mark a period during his time as governor of Benguela province.
"To the businesspeople who ended up being harmed by the fact that they agreed to invest at the engineer's request, we would like to thank you for the correction and assure you that we will always be available to defend them with reason", he said.
An attractive market
Isaac dos Anjos emphasises the importance of taking advantage of investment opportunities, as Benguela continues to be a good place to invest and the Lobito Corridor a development platform that will make Restinga to be as Manhattan (the smallest county in the U.S. state of New York).
He also reports on more investments underway for the infrastructure of a new industrial estate in Biópio and Culango, where new housing projects are planned.
Noting that the future Benguela Circular Road, already approved by the Angolan Government, will lead to the integration of the Equimina, Elephant and Binga bays into tourism.
He said that he is optimistic that these bays are a space for private investment with guaranteed returns, due to the tourist population that has been travelling from the Great Lakes for years. JH/CRB/MRA/DOJ
