Luanda: More than 400 advertising panels installed haphazardly and illegally were removed from the main roads and avenues of the Angolan capital by the Luanda government (GPL), as part of a strategy to organize public space and combat visual pollution. The information was disclosed Friday in Luanda by the director of the Provincial Press Office, Lady Mukeba, on the sidelines of a methodological meeting dedicated to the theme "Outdoor Advertising and Urban Planning".
According to Angola Press News Agency, although outdoor advertising is an essential activity for commercial and institutional development, its implementation requires clear rules, coordination between institutions, and responsibility on the part of operators. "We have seen with concern a disorderly growth of panels that results in visual pollution," she stressed.
Lady Mukeba explained that the GPL adopted a mixed approach, combining inspection and coercive removal with an educational character, adding that the government wants to improve visibility on the roads with this action, which currently shows a significant reduction in illegal billboards compared to the situation a year ago. She clarified that the objective of the central administration, together with the municipal administrations, is not to take space away from investors, but to improve the business environment, value private investments, and ensure that everyone operates within an organized, predictable, and sustainable model.
The communications director of the Cazenga Municipal Administration, Leonarda Miguel, on her turn highlighted the importance of the methodological meeting as a mechanism for aligning the guidelines issued by the Provincial Office. "This alignment will help us from now on to look at communication work in the advertising sector within each municipality, safeguarding the interests of economic agents," she said.
The official acknowledged that the challenge is complex, due to the diversity of profiles of economic agents and the specificities of each area, requiring joint, active, and permanent awareness. Participants analyzed and debated mechanisms for the permanent monitoring of advertising regulations, as well as the need to harmonize licensing procedures between municipal administrations and the central services of the province.
