The figures were given by the Secretary of State for Civil, Maritime and Port Aviation, Emílio Londa, in a presentation of the project that took place this Tuesday in Luanda.
The first phase covers 860 hectares of this region, north of Luanda (about 16 percent of the total area of the concession granted) and could represent, according to the official, between 1.5 and 2 percent of GDP over the next 10 years.
Storage, food processing, metalworking, assembly and auto parts, solar panels and alternative energies are the areas defined as priorities, and the public tender for prior qualification for the sub-concession of four components is currently under way: port terminal, national grain reserve, cooking oil and renewable energy park.
Emílio Londa also pointed out the creation of a Center for Innovation, Technical-Professional Training and Technological Development as "an essential and differentiating instrument for this project".
"Angola's development will certainly be more balanced and sustainable, if we know how to prioritize and promote the local skills of our workers, through training", he underlined.
In July, the Barra do Dande Development Society and the Ministry of Economy and Planning, as the regulatory and supervisory body for the Free Zones, signed a management concession contract that assigns the latter the responsibility for implementing the strategic objectives recommended for the territory covered by the Barra do Dande Free Trade Zone.
Among these are: promotion of industrial competitiveness and foreign trade with "Made in Angola" products; creation of national strategic reserves; private sector participation in the economy; job creation and development of vocational training; and environmental sustainability of the Free Zone, projected for the next 50 years of the national economy.
National and foreign investors interested in Barra do Dande
The Government has already received expressions of interest from national and foreign investors for the concession of the Barra do Dande projects, the first phase of which should be completed in 2027, the company's official said on Tuesday.
Joaquim Piedade did not want to quantify how many proposals were received for the management, execution and exploitation of part of the components of Phase I of the Free Zone for Integrated Development of Barra do Dande in this preliminary qualification phase, which ends on 15 November.
The chairman of the Board of Directors of Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande (SDBD) who was speaking this Tuesday at the public presentation session of the project, stressed that it intends to answer four questions: food security, energy security, fuel security and economic and industrial development.
The region was chosen for the development of the free zone because there are already anchor projects, namely the ocean terminal, which is being developed by Sonangol, and a ceramic production industry of Chinese origin, which occupies 400 hectares.
In the preliminary qualification contest "the candidates must demonstrate that they have technical and financial qualifications to develop projects of this magnitude", said Joaquim Piedade.
"We have competitors, mostly national, and also foreigners", he declared, adding that nationals are looking for international partners for joint investments in the free zone.
As for the industrial hub, the objective is to attract four priority sectors: the automotive industry, food, renewable energies and construction materials.
The SDBD official stated that they are currently focused on solving administrative issues, namely those related to the special regimes provided for in the free zone.
"Only the tax [regime] is approved, we still have to deal with the exchange rate regime, the migration regime, the labor regime and others that are of support for investors who are in the free zone", he said, stressing that the project is being now presented to the national and international community.
He also added that an "investor desk" will be created with all the necessary services to respond to bureaucratic issues, whose headquarters will be located in the Dande region.
Joaquim Piedade foresees that it will be implemented in 2025, when the execution of several infrastructures will already be underway.
"If we have investors for the maritime port terminal, which will be the main outlet, this will automatically precipitate the progress of the entire project for the execution of the work", whose first phase should be completed in 2027.
On the issue of accessibility and supply of energy and water, issues raised this Tuesday in the debate in which the project was presented, Joaquim Piedade said that the SDBD is thinking about alternatives.
One of the possibilities involves the rehabilitation and concession of a national road whose investment would be profitable through the payment of tolls.
"We have a concrete proposal in our portfolio, which involves an investment of more than 13 million dollars, which is being discussed", indicated the president of SDBS, adding that it would be a public-private partnership.
"The difference in this project is this, being able to attract the private to investments that are traditionally prepared by the State", highlighted Joaquim Piedade, adding that contracts of 30 years + 25 are on the table, in the case of infrastructures to recover the investment.
