According to the minister, the sector he directs is in the process of consolidating the reforms that began in the last four years, a process that gave rise to the various agencies in the sector, which emanated from six institutes and a sectoral office.
"The sector has a satisfactory level of performance today and this phase of consolidation should be reflected in the life of the citizen", said Ricardo de Abreu, during the 8th edition of Café CIPRA (Press Center of the Presidency of the Republic of Angola) , which addressed the "balance sheet and challenges of the transport sector".
The minister pointed out, in his speech, that the transport sector strategy document, which brings together the air, maritime, rail and road subsectors, is the National Master Plan for the Transport and Infrastructure Sector.
According to Ricardo de Abreu, the master plan has a 20-year vision for the transport sector, noting that the sector it oversees must respond to demographic growth and the diversification process of the country's economy.
For the official, who was one of the facilitators of the meeting, together with the coordinator of the Office for the Operation of the New Luanda International Airport, urban mobility is one of the main pillars of the plan.
"It is another major pillar due to the accelerated demographic growth of cities, which is a continental issue", he noted, referring that the large capitals of African cities also register an accelerated growth of populations.
He also spoke about the construction of the yellow line of the Luanda Surface Metro, considering that urban mobility in the capital, including the perimeter of the new airport, should gain new impetus.
The President authorized, by decree, the opening of a simplified contract for the design, construction, implementation and supply of equipment and technologies for the Luanda Surface Metro, worth US$1.4 billion.
The contract includes the construction of a double railway track, connecting the port of Luanda and the centrality of Kilamba, over a length of approximately 39 kilometres, including the construction of a maintenance park at each end of the line.
The construction of 24 stops distributed along the route and the supply and commissioning of a fleet of 68 articulated vehicles of four units each are also included in the contract.
On public road transport, Ricardo de Abreu recalled that the capital alone has a fleet of 850 buses, which transport around 13 million passengers/month, regretting, however, that only 50 percent is used.
The minister defended greater articulation between the operators and the authorities, especially in the field of security and maintenance of the means, in order to provide an effective "response" to the population's demand.
