Day: April 17, 2023

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Angola’s Oil revenue rises to AKz 9.108 bln in 2022

Crude oil revenues reached 9.108 billion kwanzas in 2022, with growth of 51% compared to the same period (2021), which stood at around AKz 6.034 billion.

Last year’s revenue is the result of the sale of around 417 million barrels of oil, as well as the payment of taxes on the transaction, sharing and production of crude oil, said the manager of the General Tax Administration (AGT), Tiago Santos.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Luanda, the manager added that the non-oil sector increased by 22%, as result of collection of revenue of 4,638 billion kwanzas, in 2022, against the AKz 3.816 billion reported in the previous year.

Most taxes showed positive growth in 2022 compared to those in 2021.

Still in the same period, the Industrial Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT)

contributed the most, with a share of 27% each.

Meanwhile, the Commerce sector contributed the most to non-oil revenue in 2022,

representing around 24% of the total collected, followed by the Extractive and Manufacturing Industry sector, with 12.8% and 11.1%, respectively.

Overall (sum of oil and non-oil revenues), tax revenue totaled AOA 13,746 billion, which corresponds to a 40% growth compared to 2021.

Non-oil revenues in the first quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of 2023, non-oil revenue totaled AKz 976 billion, which corresponds to growth of 13% compared to the same period last year, according to the director of AGT, who took stock of the activities performed in 2022 and the first quarter of this year.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Angola and Czech Republic reinforce bilateral cooperation

Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs Téte António addressed Monday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky, issues related to the reinforcement of cooperation between the two countries, in the most varied domains.

In a telephone conversation, the two officials defended the need to set up a bilateral commission and exchange visits between the two countries, including at the highest level, according to a press note from the Angolan Ministry sent Monday to ANGOP.

The interlocutors considered it a priority for Angola and the Czech Republic to establish strong and effective cooperation in various fields.

Angola established political-diplomatic and cooperation relations with the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993, the date on which the new Czech State was constituted.

On December 1, 1999, the two countries signed a declaration on bilateral relations and, in 2006, the parties signed the memorandum of understanding and the development cooperation programme

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Germany seeking strengthened partnership with Angola

German ambassador to Angola Stefan Traumann Monday expressed his country’s availability to boost the strategic partnership with Angola and step up the exchange of experiences between the Parliaments of both countries.

The diplomat was speaking to the press at the end of a meeting with the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira.

Stefan Traumann considered the exchange of experiences crucial because the Parliaments are fundamental representations between the two countries and peoples.

The two interlocutors also discussed the support of the German Government in projects such as the construction of energy infrastructure (Caculo Cabaça Dam), renewable energies, in addition to the green hydrogen project, with the participation of Sonangol and a German company.

The German diplomat noted that his country also supports projects in Angola such as agribusiness, construction of hospitals and staff training. The two interlocutors also spoke of Angola’s role in promoting peace on the continental region, especially in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Stefan Traumann also told the National Assembly Speaker that the German Parliament will be represented with a high-level delegation at the 147th General Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union (UIP), scheduled for October this year, in Luanda.

Angola and Germany created the Bilateral Commission, as part of the “Joint Declaration of Intent”, signed on 8 July 2011. It is a platform for exchanging opinions of a general nature on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest, responsible for evaluation of the development of cooperation.

The parties are engaged in permanent development of bilateral talks, held,

mainly, since the visit of President João Lourenço to Berlin, in August 2018, as well as the delegations to Luanda of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Bundestag (German Parliament), in February 2019, and the President of the Federal Council, in July 2019.

Angola and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1979.

Angola and South Africa strengthen relations

Still on Monday, the first deputy Speaker of National Assembly, Américo Cunonoca, received, in audience, a South African Parliamentary delegation, with whom he established experiences in the parliamentary domain and the

management of public accounts.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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National Arts and Cultural fund launched to preserve Seychelles’ heritage

The National Arts and Cultural Fund was launched at State House on Saturday to allow interested persons both in Seychelles and abroad to help in the protection and promotion of the Seychellois culture and heritage.

Philanthropists and prospective partners were present to make a contribution to the fund.

The money collected, of which the total has not been revealed yet, will help to create a national collection of Seychellois artworks and buy properties and artefacts of national cultural and heritage importance.

The secretary general of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA), David Andre, told reporters that since “culture belongs to everyone, therefore those who are able to do so should contribute to the fund, as this is our heritage, and we should all lend a hand to promote it.”

The fund will fall under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance as government entities are not allowed to have accounts in commercial banks.

A consultative committee at SNICHA will then decide on the priority of the various projects presented to the fund.

“This is when we will decide if we want to send money for example to the marine museum,” said Andre who explained that it would be a consultative effort.

Andre said that the fund is also expected to “support events, programmes and activities for the transfer of intangible cultural heritage that will benefit communities.”

The launching of the fund coincided with the 110th anniversary of the State House, a historical monument built in 1910, previously the Governor’s House during the British colonial era.

The building, which boasts a garden full of colourful flowers and shrubs, including the endemic coco de mer palms, and a pen with Aldabra giant tortoises – is also a cultural heritage site of Seychelles.

It includes a cemetery with the tombs and graves of some notable historical figures in the history of Seychelles.

The most prominent grave is that of Chevalier Jean-Baptiste Queau de Quincy, who was the French Commandant and Civil Agent of Seychelles from 1793 to 1811 when Britain took possession of the islands.

In his address, President Wavel Ramkalawan explained the reason for holding the launch at State House: “the building belongs to all Seychellois and is where culture should be encouraged.”

To entice the prospective contributors to the fund, various artists were present on State House grounds painting, crocheting and making vacoa bags.

The Vacoa tree, also known as the screw pine, bears fruits that look like pine cones with leaves spread out in a fan shape, that are used to make bags and ropes among others.

In addition to artefact being created on site, there were also paintings on display for those willing to buy art pieces.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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Major islands clean-up: Over 110 FADs recovered in Seychelles

Over 110 discarded fish aggregating devices (FADs) recovered from some southernmost islands of Seychelles have been brought to the main island of Mahe for sorting, recycling, and reusing.

FADs are man-made floating wooden structures with hanging nets to attract fish used extensively in tuna fishing. These rafts can either be free floating or anchored to the seabed and have been known to have an adverse effect on the environment.

The Saya de Malha vessel, onboard which the expedition was carried out, berthed Port Victoria in the early afternoon on Monday following a 20-day cleanup event on Aldabra, Assumption, Cosmoledo, Astove, Farquhar, Cerf, and Providence.

The crew left Mahe on March 27 on the second FAD cleanup expedition, undertaken by the Seychelles Coast Guard with the participation of six students and a lecturer from the Seychelles Maritime Academy.

Greeting the participants at the Fishing Port, President Wavel Ramkalawan, the Patron of the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), congratulated them for embarking on this journey and that the expedition has been successful.

He personally thanked them for serving their country and helping the government in its effort to protect, keep the oceans clean and promote sustainable fishing.

During the cleanup, the crew had to carry out a recce on each of the islands to identify the locations of the FADs, following which they were transported closer to the boat that would carry the materials to the Saya de Malha vessel.

Seychelles’ fisheries minister, Jean Francois Ferrari, said that this is the first time that the vessel has gone this far to collect FADs.

“Beach cleanings have been carried out on some islands in the area but FADs were not collected. A lot of old FADs were collected there with over 60 having been collected on Aldabra alone. The expedition was a success as we collected about 114 FADs, and we expect that during the next exercise, we will be collecting fewer FADs,” said Ferrari.

He outlined that the FADs will be placed at an SFA hangar where they will be sorted.

“When we are sorting the FADs, we will try to establish who their owners are so that they can take responsibility, ensuring that they contribute to cleaning up the waste that they created. Once this is done we will see what can be exported. We will also look into selling buoys to companies. Our target is to reuse and recycle as much as possible,” said Ferrari.

Mervin Mathieu, an artist who focuses on recycling discarded materials, is one of three individuals or companies involved in the circular economy of FADs.

“I already see the potential of all these materials. I am very interested in what can be recycled. I want to embark on this programme so as to introduce our youth in schools to the possibilities of transforming such materials. There are a lot of things that can be made out of such materials and we will need to train people to do so,” said Mathieu.

The first expedition was carried out late last year and the next is expected towards the end of 2023.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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