Asked by Lusa about the impact of this obligation on Portuguese workers and companies, Pedro Pessoa and Costa said that "it is being evaluated", noting that the business universe in Angola is "large and very diverse".
"We are trying to understand [the effects of the new rules] the companies with the companies", stressed the diplomat, after an audience with the Speaker of the National Assembly Fernando da Piedade Santos "Nandó"
“The impact it can have on an average, small or large company is very different and also has to do with the type of contract that the worker has. It is something that we are monitoring, ”he declared, adding that“ it is the rules that work in Angola ”and that for now, there are no alarm signals.
“The main concerns have to do with the time and costs of the transfer, but this happens in Angola as elsewhere in the world, we have received, not alarm signals, but some concern” with the effects that these measures may have on us bureaucratic and financial terms, he said.
He noted, on the other hand, that there is a huge diversity of companies, types of contract or length of stay for workers, so the issues cannot be gauged in general terms.
“Naturally, it is a concern that companies will have to face, and they should look for creative solutions to deal with this issue”, said Pedro Pessoa e Costa.
As for his first meeting with Nando, “it went very well”: “I leave with the message that our bilateral relationship is fine and could be even better and more strengthened”, from the moment the pandemic “that has effects also serious in the Angolan economy ”, considered the ambassador.
For Pedro Pessoa and Costa, the situation that is being experienced in Angola, which has a sanitary fence due to Covid-19 and closed borders since March 20, “cannot be a factor that further damages the situation of some Portuguese companies that are in this market ”.
Therefore, the embassy has been in contact and coordination with the Angolan authorities so that they can return to their jobs, employees considered “essential” and duly signaled by the companies, said the ambassador, indicating as an example the workers of priority works from the government.
“This whole process must be gradual, not least because it requires monitoring by the Angolan authorities, as they must have the capacity for quarantine” fulfilled institutionally.
Pedro Pessoa and Costa admitted that the pandemic has aggravated the financial economic crisis that Angola was already facing which may cause additional difficulties for companies and not all will survive
"Companies have to know whether or not they can remain in the markets, with a sustainable business", he stressed, considering "natural" that some companies think to direct the business to another area or close.
He stressed, however, that the business community in Angola “is resilient and has gone through other more or less complicated phases”, adding that it is necessary “to have the courage to work and live” with the fear of the pandemic, “trying whenever possible to safeguard the activity of Portuguese and Angolans”.
