Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on Wednesday in Luanda inaugurated a cooking oil factory called REFITEC.

Located in an area of 89,000 square meters, it has the capacity to package one million liters per day. It belongs to the Naval Group and is located in the Boavista neighborhood in the country's capital city.

The new factory has the capacity to refine and process 500 tons of palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and other vegetable fats per day, with the aim of positioning itself as a reference for cooking oils in Angola.

REFITEC has raw material tanks that store 22,000 tons, equivalent to 45 days of production, and three packaging lines capable of delivering up to 18,000 of one liter packages per hour.

The project was implemented 700 meters from the Port of Luanda, in a location used for the development of industrial activities during the colonial period.

With its installation, the factory that employs 300 young people will generate 850 direct jobs. Construction began in 2023 and production began at the end of last year, 2024.

During the act, the executive director for the financial area of the Naval Group, Eduardo Barbosa, said that the unit represents a fundamental milestone for the Angolan industrial sector and for the group's growth strategy.

“We are investing in national production, reducing dependence on imports and contributing to the strengthening of the country's economy,” the official highlighted.

He noted that with this investment, REFITEC intends to become a future industrial powerhouse, with the aim of transforming the cooking oil sector in Angola and securing a market share of over 50%.

According to him, the opening of the factory will create opportunities for hundreds of Angolans, promoting employment and sustainable development, and the company is committed to continuing to invest in strategic and high-impact sectors for Angola.

He informed that with the opening of this factory, the Naval Group reaffirms its "commitment to the country's food self-sufficiency and sustainable development, investing in a sector that is essential for economic growth".

The Naval Group, one of Angola's leading business conglomerates, has employed over 3,000 people since 2007, with a strong inclusion policy, with around 50% of its workforce being women.

The company has six industrial units in operation and three in the completion phase, in addition to a wide network of distribution centers in all provinces.

Since 2019, the group has invested more than USD 200 million in industrial projects, with emphasis on the REFITEC project, which reinforces its commitment to the manufacturing industry and the country's sustainable development.

ART/VIC/MRA/jmc