The intention is contained in a memorandum of understanding signed between the Agrarian Development Institute (IDA), of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the personal office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, in partnership with Atlantis Africa Agro Ventures, for the development of centers of excellence for farmers in the country.
The presidential decree that approved the memorandum of understanding, signed in 2018, considers the need to establish and strengthen bilateral relations between IDA and the sheikh's personal office, recognizing Angola's interest in "significantly improving the agricultural production system, through the development of service excellence centers for family farmers ".
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum is an entrepreneur whose main activities are the development of projects, businesses and transactions in the areas of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, public-private partnerships, construction, development and operations, trade and others.
The document, to which Lusa had access, points out that the personal office of the sheikh, whose operations have been concentrated in Central and West Africa, as well as throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East, intends, through Atlantis, to promote opportunities for agricultural business in Angola.
Atlantis is a company that integrates the areas of design, implementation and management, working in the sectors of agriculture, education, solar and well-being, providing end-to-end solutions for governments, states and companies.
The presidential decree emphasizes that Atlantis has proven capacity, expertise and experience to successfully implement complex government projects around the world, with products and services across the scope of agriculture.
In this sense, IDA and Atlantis are establishing contacts on agricultural needs in Angola, and the company has already carried out a detailed field survey to assess the agrarian system, capacities and challenges in Angola.
"The parties identified and mutually agreed that Atlantis and IDA should work together in support of the Government's vision of having a robust agricultural ecosystem in Angola," the document said.
According to the presidential decree, the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to formalize the agreement between the parties therein, before indicating their roles and responsibilities, and Atlantis "must devote time, resources and efforts to comprehensive research activities to understand the needs and requirements of the agricultural sector in Angola, bringing it up to global standards ".
The Government concluded that the scope of the country's agricultural sector "is too broad to be achieved by IDA alone", and it is imperative that the institute "partner with government institutions, the private sector and civil society agencies, to achieve its vision of having a robust agricultural ecosystem in Angola ".
The actions also provide for the development of service centers for farmers as an extension of centers of excellence throughout the country, training and skills development for farmers, implantation of modern agriculture with advanced technology, crossbreeding of plants and agrochemicals, resulting in an important increase in crop yields.
The cooperation also aims to establish and consolidate a platform capable of linking agricultural products and farmers to domestic and international buyers, resulting in the elimination of intermediaries and adding significant value and better prices for farmers.
Atlantis is responsible for preparing a detailed project plan, a project implementation strategy and a financial proposal, within three months of the effective date of the Memorandum of Understanding.
