Luanda: Transport Minister Ricardo de Abreu on Wednesday called for a structural transformation of Angola's logistics and transport system to support the country's transition from an import-dependent economy to a model based on domestic production. Speaking at the 23rd edition of the 'Caf©Cipra' dialogue forum, the minister stressed the strategic importance of logistics to achieving food self-sufficiency and ensuring Angola's competitiveness in the global market.
According to Angola Press News Agency, addressing the theme 'Road construction as a driver of domestic production', Ricardo de Abreu said that over the next 20 years, consumption would require domestic production to meet nutritional and health standards. 'We need continued investment in roads, railways and logistics platforms to meet these challenges,' he said.
The Transport Minister also highlighted the major challenges facing smallholder farming, particularly organisational constraints and limited storage capacity. In this regard, he cited data on Africa indicating that around 70 per cent of agricultural production is lost to spoilage due to the lack of an integrated cold-chain and logistics system.
To address these disparities, he said the Ministry of Transport, through the Angolan Regulatory Agency for Cargo and Logistics Certification and the National Land Transport Agency, had been promoting public-private partnerships and the development of integrated transport corridors. Among the initiatives under way, Ricardo de Abreu highlighted the implementation of the Ca¡la Logistics Platform, which will serve as a model for other regions, including Namibe and northern Angola, with solar-powered refrigerated containers to protect local production.
The minister also stressed the strategic importance of road transport, which he described as the 'main means of transporting goods in the country'. He added that work was under way to integrate the country's three railway lines, including the connection between Malanje, Saurimo and Luena, with the aim of bringing production centres closer to major consumer markets and boosting exports. Ricardo de Abreu called for inter-ministerial coordination and greater private-sector involvement in the ongoing modernisation of logistics infrastructure and services, helping to ensure fairer prices for final consumers.
