The President of the Angola-China Chamber of Commerce (CAC) Luis Cupenala has commended what he said is “tremendous” cooperation between Angola and China, saying the level of bilateral cooperation has been consistent and reliable.
Cupenala said that such cooperation has contributed to infrastructure improvement, industrialisation, and aided Angola’s battle against poverty.
Cupenala highlighted transport as an area that had seen extensive cooperation between the two countries over the years, commending Chinese companies for having built and reconstructed railways such as the Benguela Railway, roads, airports, and electrical infrastructure that have improved connectivity in the country.
The 1,344-kilometre Benguela Railway, built by the China Railway 20 Bureau and connecting the port city of Lobito to the city of Luau bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was handed over to Angola in October 2019.
Chinese firms have also created job opportunities and facilitated skills transfer to the local population, hence helping them build capacity and increase productivity, he said.
“China participated in these challenges to make sure that Angola can allow people and goods to flow from one point to another, and obviously, deal with the international market,” he said.
Cupenala said China identifies Africa as a great partner that can transform itself from its current level. He believed the most important thing for Africa-China cooperation is to identify the areas where the two sides can further improve so as to achieve more mutual benefits.
Angola, with a landmass of around 1.25 million square kilometres, is rich in natural resources such as crude oil and diamonds and boasts fertile soil and favourable weather conditions for agriculture. The country must turn these comparative advantages into goods and services that ultimately improve people’s livelihoods, Cupenala said.
China has witnessed radical economic reforms over the past 40 years and has grown to be the world’s second-largest economy. Angola is keen to learn from the Asian nation’s experience, including in the anti-graft fight, said Cupenala.
