The vice-president of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the Middle East and Africa, Sérgio Pimenta, was speaking to journalists after a meeting with the Minister of Planning, Victor Hugo Guilherme, with whom he discussed the operations of the IFC - an institution of the World Bank Group that supports the development of the private sector - in Angola.
The IFC has been present in Angola since 2019 and in the last five years has disbursed more than 500 million dollars in financing, but it wants to “do more”, particularly in terms of long-term investments that are necessary, he said.
The health sectors, financial institutions and international trade, with short-term financing for the import and export of products that are necessary for the Angolan economy, were some of the areas financed.
Sergio Pimenta will be present this Tuesday at a round table on public-private partnerships to “explain in more detail” the support available to Angola in this area.
Food security, infrastructure, energy, transport and also access to financing for small and medium-sized businesses were some of the topics discussed with Minister Victor Hugo Guilherme, he added.
“We want to support the Government that is attracting more private sector investment here in Angola, both in terms of foreign investment and Angolan companies in Angola. And we want to support this because we believe that the private sector has a very important role to play in complementing the public sector and in making important contributions to the country’s development”, stressed the IFC deputy director.
Without revealing figures, he was “optimistic” about the increase in the investment portfolio “significantly”.
As for the priority sectors, he pointed to infrastructure and the sectors of communications, transport, energy, but also the agricultural and agri-food sector - “in which Angola has great potential” - as well as health, education and support for small and medium-sized businesses.
This Tuesday, the IFC will present the support available to support the establishment of bankable PPP projects and, alongside the representative of the Portuguese Ministry of Finance, will present case studies with the respective lessons learned.
The event will be attended by the Minister of Planning, Victor Hugo Guilherme, as well as the Ministers of Transport, Ricardo Viegas d’Abreu, and of Public Works, Urbanism and Housing, Carlos Alberto dos Santos, as well as the Secretaries of State for Finance and Treasury, Ottoniel dos Santos, for Public Health, Carlos Pinto de Sousa and the Secretary of State for Water, António Rodrigues Balsa.
