According to the Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication, Mário de Oliveira, Angola and the African continent already need a telecommunications industry to stop the flight of professionals, especially young people, who emigrate to other continents.
Speaking on Tuesday during a panel on the "National Space Program", as part of the 17th US-Africa Business Summit, which is taking place in the country's capital, he considered that "the time has come" for Africa to have its own industries because the continent "is losing a lot of labor".
"We have been doing a lot of international advocacy on this issue, because we understand that the development that the country and the region are experiencing, the development that Africa is experiencing in these areas, it is time for us to have a telecommunications industry here in Angola", said the minister.
According to Mário de Oliveira, one of the major shortcomings, especially in Angola, was the issue of electricity, but, he noted, "today Angola has a considerable amount of energy production in which telecommunications industries can set up here".
"We have many young people training in this area and we understand that the time has come for major manufacturers to come to Angola and manufacture their products here, develop them here because we believe that this is also a way of retaining talent in the country, in Africa, and with that the continent benefits", he said.
Mário de Oliveira also said that Angola currently has a regulatory and business environment that is attractive to investment, highlighting that some legislation in the sector is under review with a view to the entry of new operators.
He considered that the profound technological changes and transformations that are taking place in the sector he heads require the country to adapt to the global technological reality, especially in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
"All of these are new technologies that are present and we need to regulate and adapt so that operators in this area can feel comfortable in Angola and naturally make investments here", he told Lusa.
He also assured that the business environment in the sector he oversees is attractive, highlighting that Angola is currently the leader of the technical group for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) satellite, a regional project led by Angola.
"This is a huge gain for us and signifies the confidence that the countries in the region have in our National Space Programme", concluded the minister.
In turn, businesspeople in the telecommunications sector in Angola highlighted the challenges facing the sector and advocated combining efforts by all stakeholders in this segment so that investments in the sector are reflected in the development of the Angolan economy.
"The challenge has to do with the investment capacity of some companies here [in Angola], it is also a good opportunity for us to discuss some forms of financing and investment with partners", Francisco Pinto Leite, general director of Internet Technologies Angola, told Lusa.
Ângelo Gama, chairman of the executive board of Angola Cables, signaled, in turn, the need for Africa to attract more investments in the technology sector to guarantee the development of its economy and the valorization of its staff.
