"We believe in the formation of national teams," said the director of DP World for the Middle East and Africa, Suhail Al Banna, on the sidelines of the signing of the concession contract for the multipurpose terminal in the port of Luanda, for a period of 20 years.
According to the head of the Dubai-based multinational, DP World will send an evaluation team for a short period of time, six months maximum, to identify the skills of each worker and design a program tailored to individual needs.
"As we are operating in Maputo, Mozambique, and as Portuguese is used in both countries we are planning to send part of the team from Luanda to Maputo and we will be able to bring some of our staff from Mozambique here," he said.
According to Suhail Al Banna, the company wants to recruit more Angolans, in addition to the current workers at the port of Luanda, whose jobs will be secured. "In each country, we also have a programme aimed at recruiting young university students and providing training in a working environment for three years, after which they can join the company or be absorbed by other companies," he said.
Asked about DP World's planned further investments in Lusophone Africa, Suhail Al Banna said the company is always looking for new opportunities.
"We study the markets and, based on the opportunities, we decide if we want to enter a particular country," he said.
The concession agreement was signed this Monday in Luanda by Alberto António Bengue, chairman of the Port of Luanda and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of the group and CEO of DP World.
The agreement foresees an investment of 190 million dollars over the concession period, as well as the payment of over 440 million dollars in 2020.
The payments over the concession period will represent an amount of more than 1 billion dollars, of which 150 million dollars will be paid on the date of signature of the contract.
On the occasion, the Minister of Transport, Ricardo Abreu, stressed that maintaining the jobs of the workers assigned to the terminal and the implementation of a training program for technicians is one of the gains of the agreement.
He also emphasized that the international tender took place in a rigorous and transparent way, despite "some voices that were raised questioning the smoothness of the process".
The Secretary of State for Civil, Maritime and Port Aviation, Carlos Antão Borges, reinforced the idea, highlighting the 'due diligence' procedures adopted: "All the companies that were invited were subject to a previous 'due diligence'. The rules are the same for everyone, there are no shortcuts, there are no easy ways, there is transparency and there is rigor, for those who like it, it is because we are being professional, for those who don't like there are other opportunities, but they will have to do better".
"The rules are created and from now on this is how we defend the interests of Angolans. We are transparent and we are looking for the best partners to work in Angola," he added.
Dubai Ports World is a Dubai-based multinational logistics company specializing in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free zones.
