According to the Secretary of State for Mineral Resources, Jânio Corrêa Victor, participants are expected from several African and European countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Portugal, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Biannual, the conference "reflects the Angolan Government's commitment to diversifying the country's mineral resources, improving the mineral landscape and attracting more foreign investment", he added.
Asked about the level of satisfaction regarding attracting investments, Jânio Corrêa Victor said that Angola is not dissociated from the difficult global situation, highlighting that financial resources are currently scarce to invest in the economy as in previous years, with the oil and mining sectors being no exception.
"We are working and, with this, we, in the last mandate, managed to bring here a series of multinational companies, which are currently entering our country. We have in our portfolio to bring a few more", said the Angolan official, refusing to say which new companies will be part of the sector.
Jânio Corrêa Victor highlighted that the Government continues to appeal to national private companies to invest in the mining sector, highlighting the presence of banks in events like these to gain better knowledge of the sector, "break down barriers and allow contact between national private operators and the bank."
"It is a risky sector, with intensive investment costs, but the national private sector is invited to invest in our country," he said.
Angola's Secretary of State for Mineral Resources stressed that the fair also aims to highlight the country, which, despite having mineral resources in quantity and quality, some of which are already known, is still taking "the first steps" in terms development of mining power.
The opening ceremony, which is expected to be attended by the President, João Lourenço, in one of the main sessions will explore "Angola's Vision for the Sustainable Development of Mineral Resources".
The event is expected to feature the participation of Vusi Mabena, executive secretary of the Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (MIASA), João Luis Ngimbi, executive director of the African Development Bank Group, and Sonia Essobmadje, director of Financial Markets and of Innovative Capitals.
The conference will give special attention to existing technological innovations to increase production in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way, also exploring the latest trends and how technology can increase efficiency, reduce environmental impact and ensure worker safety.
