Luanda - The France-Angola Entrepreneurs Club (CEFA) will become the International Chamber of Commerce from January 2025, the executive director of this business organisation, Emídio Fragoso announced Thursday in Luanda.
The official was speaking at the ceremony that marked the celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau, an annual event to launch the first vintage wine from the Beaujolais region, in France, which took place in the Angolan capital.
Emidio Fragoso said that the process of transitioning CEFA to a France-Angola International Chamber of Commerce began in November this year, and it is expected that in early 2025 they will be officially registered in both Angola and France.
For him, the transformation of CEFA into an International Chamber of Commerce will strengthen the relationship between Angola and France in all sectors, hoping that French businessmen will come to Angola 'to invest in the sectors we need and, conversely, to lead Angolan businessmen to expand their business in France'.
Ambassador values the creation of the Chamber of Commerce
The French ambassador to Angola, Sophie Aubert, present at the Beaujolais Nouveau event in Luanda, valued the transformation of CEFA into an International Chamber of Commerce between the two countries.
The diplomat hoped that the creation of the France-Angola International Chamber of Commerce would bring a conducive cooperation environment that favours both parties.
He revealed that the turnover between the two countries in 2023 amounted to 2 billion euros, of which 1.7 billion euros are exports from Angola to France and 300 billion euros are exports from France to Angola.
On the other hand, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonangol, Sebastião Gaspar Martins, believes in the increase of commercial activities between Angola and France with the creation of the International Chamber of Commerce.
According to the manager, the Chamber itself, by expanding its activity, will help consolidate trade relations between the two countries.
Likewise, the director general of VIPAERO, Claire Matondo, stressed that the idea of transforming CEFA into a Chamber of Commerce is to increasingly foster relations between French and Angolan companies and create transversal interconnections in all sectors of commercial activity.
CEFA
The France-Angola Entrepreneurs Club (CEFA) is dedicated to promoting a supportive environment for businesses, where members can seek advice, share challenges, and celebrate successes together.
It brings together business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals from different fields, to boost growth and strengthen trade relations between France and Angola.
Beaujolais Nouveau
The celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau, which is a tradition in French culture, takes place every third Thursday in November. The Luanda ceremony included wine tastings, gourmet food pairings, live music, among other attractions.
The Beaujulais Nouveau cultural event, which is in its third edition in Luanda, aims to improve the interaction between the two communities to better promote the business environment between the two peoples.
Bilateral relations
Angola and France established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1976. The two countries also have cooperative relations in several areas.
Cooperation between Angola and France has seen new developments, after the official visit of President João Lourenço to the European country, on May 28, 2018.
France has a strong position in Angola, where it operates with more than 70 companies. Angola's oil exports to France are around US$400 million.
The European country intends to change and deepen trade relations with Angola, as part of the economic diversification underway in the country. Issues related to industrialization are included in the priorities, particularly in the fields of logistics, distribution and agribusiness. DC/DOJ
