Regarding gold exploration, these are the Mapele projects (in the province of Huíla) and Lombe Mining (in the province of Cabinda).
Quoted by Angop, the minister, reiterating the Government's commitment to investing in the mining sector in order to promote the economic and social transformation of Angola, added that, in this sense, four other projects that aim to explore ferrous and non-ferrous metals will be implemented in the next year.
These are two iron projects, namely Kassala Kitungo and Cassinga, a niobium and iron project and a manganese, iron and quartz project, namely Niobonga and Bolongongo, respectively.
Moving on to the field of oil, Diamantino Azevedo – in statements to the press, cited by Angop, at the end of a ministry work meeting – said that forecasts from the ministry he leads point to the retention, this year, of national oil production above 1,060,000 barrels per day.
However, although he admitted that this was an optimistic forecast, he warned of the possibility of unexpected breakdowns and difficulties related to the price.
The holder of the Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas portfolio also pointed out the fact that most of the fields are mature and there is a need to "find solutions" to achieve the stipulated goals: "Most of the fields are mature and it is necessary to find solutions so that the goals and objectives of the oil sector are achieved", he said, quoted by Angop.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, the meeting served to assess the objectives, goals, and main projects of the sector defined in the National Development Plan (PDN) and the Sector Development Plan (PDS) for the period 2023-2027.
The meeting was led by Diamantino Azevedo and brought together entities from the public and private sector, as well as other guests.
Quoted in the statement, the minister said that the country "is very well equipped in terms of legislation, infrastructure and well-trained staff" compared to neighboring countries, adding: "We have the infrastructure to do more and better".
Regarding the challenges, the official said that "all the objectives and goals of the sector are being considered, having exemplified the achievement of oil production targets, as well as the" creation of conditions so that oil continues to be an exploited resource in Angola".
He also added that "there are other aspects linked to the refining, petrochemical and fertilizer industries, steel exploration, continued exploration and cutting of diamonds, gold and other minerals, including decarbonization", the note reads.
Sebastião Martins, president of the Board of Directors (PCA) of Sonangol, said that the "meeting served for each entity or company linked" to this sector to reflect on "how they can achieve their objectives, taking into account the defined goals".
Also quoted in the statement, Endiama's PCA, Ganga Júnior, considered the outlook for diamond dominance for the period 2023-2027 to be "positive".
"Although our goals are all ambitious, we are able to meet them," he said.
While Alcides Andrade, executive administrator of the National Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), said that "the agency's focus is to mitigate the decline in crude oil".
"It was possible to stabilize production levels to one million and one hundred barrels per day, different from the previous period," he said.
