Secretary of State Reaffirms Stronger Angola-Brazil Partnership

Luanda: Angolan Secretary of State for Industry Carlos Rodrigues said on Monday in Luanda that the conditions are in place to establish an increasingly investment-driven partnership focused on production and joint value creation between Angola and Brazil. Speaking at the opening of the Angola-Brazil Business Meeting 2026, he stressed that Brazilian companies are familiar with Angola and Angolan businesses are equally acquainted with Brazil, creating a level of proximity that facilitates the development of commercial relations between the two countries. According to Angola Press News Agency, the Government wants Brazilian entrepreneurs to view Angola not only as a receptive market for their products but also as a country where they can invest, manufacture, process raw materials, establish partnerships with Angolan companies and develop capabilities to access other markets. He added that this vision is aligned with Angola's economic diversification strategy, in which the manufacturing industry plays a central role. At an initial stage, he noted, industrial development has contributed to the competitive substitution of imports and to increasing the supply of locally produced goods, but Angola's ambitions extend much further. Carlos Rodrigues stated that the objective is to process an increasing share of the country's resources domestically, thereby adding value and developing an industrial sector that is more productive, competitive and export-oriented. In his view, the link between agriculture and industry is particularly strategic because Angola possesses enormous agricultural potential. According to the Secretary of State, the full economic benefits of this potential can only be realised if growth in agricultural production is accompanied by the capacity to preserve, store, process, package and market agricultural output. 'When products are processed locally, losses are reduced, imports are substituted, jobs are created and the conditions are established to compete in international markets,' he emphasised. He said that the integration of agriculture and industry presents an exceptional opportunity to deepen economic cooperation between Angola and Brazil. The Angola-Brazil Business Meeting 2026 was held under the theme 'Opening Pathways for New Business'. The event brought together government officials, business leaders and specialists to discuss opportunities, challenges and prospects for strengthening economic relations between Angola and Brazil, with particular emphasis on trade, investment and cooperation in strategic sectors.