Seek partnerships with Angolan companies: Gomes

WINDHOEK – The Secretary-General of the Angolan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Antonio Gomes, on Saturday called on the Namibian business community to seek partnerships with Angolan companies to ensure domestic competitiveness.

Gomes, who was speaking during the celebrations of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s anniversary, said there was a huge domestic market in Angola, which Namibian businesses needed to enter by forging partnerships. He singled out various markets like textiles, paper, oil products, industrial chemical products, plastic and rubber by-products, glass, non-metallic mineral products, non-ferrous metals, assembling of electrical and non-electrical machines, the fitting of radio and TV sets, as well as certain transport materials and mining.”Conditions should be created to ensure domestic competitiveness, in view of the importation of a range of products where the industrial tradition was relevant, such as beverages, textiles and confections, dairy and derivatives among others,” he said.Gomes, who was speaking through an interpreter, said imports of a range of products may be replaced wherever the country proves to have a competitive advantage, resulting from its natural resources that may be industrialised such as fertilisers, gas and oil derivatives.He said the fight against hunger and poverty, and for macro-economic stabilisation, is currently on in Angola.”This means that there are government programmes which are opening enormous opportunities for the private sector, both the national and the foreign ones,” Gomes explained.”Angola has comparative advantages within the SADC context, waiting for the private sector’s implementing capacity to transform all the potential into wealth, for the wellbeing of our people.Our partners from Namibia, for obvious reasons, are condemned to share with us the effort to achieve this desideratum,” Gomes said to thunderous applause.Meanwhile, the Head of the Angolan Chamber explained that oil and its derivatives, the manufacturing of non-metallic minerals, food products and the like are all a range of products offering profitable business opportunities, thanks to a high demand in the region and in the world.The other range of products deserving due consideration in the strategy for reindustrialisation and value-adding to national natural resources, is that of non-ferrous minerals, of which copper is the highlight.He said the Angolan government also believes that public and private partnerships constitute a fundamental factor in the efforts aimed at stabilising and developing the country.The Angolan Chamber, and the business community it represents, are thus convinced that there is a good opportunity for them to join forces and conduct profitable businesses and contribute to better living standards in the countries.Gomes furthermore appealed for the strengthening of ties of co-operation between the two chambers, based on the understanding within the framework of the SADC Association of Chambers of Commerce, of which they are both members.-NampaHe singled out various markets like textiles, paper, oil products, industrial chemical products, plastic and rubber by-products, glass, non-metallic mineral products, non-ferrous metals, assembling of electrical and non-electrical machines, the fitting of radio and TV sets, as well as certain transport materials and mining.”Conditions should be created to ensure domestic competitiveness, in view of the importation of a range of products where the industrial tradition was relevant, such as beverages, textiles and confections, dairy and derivatives among others,” he said.Gomes, who was speaking through an interpreter, said imports of a range of products may be replaced wherever the country proves to have a competitive advantage, resulting from its natural resources that may be industrialised such as fertilisers, gas and oil derivatives.He said the fight against hunger and poverty, and for macro-economic stabilisation, is currently on in Angola.”This means that there are government programmes which are opening enormous opportunities for the private sector, both the national and the foreign ones,” Gomes explained.”Angola has comparative advantages within the SADC context, waiting for the private sector’s implementing capacity to transform all the potential into wealth, for the wellbeing of our people.Our partners from Namibia, for obvious reasons, are condemned to share with us the effort to achieve this desideratum,” Gomes said to thunderous applause.Meanwhile, the Head of the Angolan Chamber explained that oil and its derivatives, the manufacturing of non-metallic minerals, food products and the like are all a range of products offering profitable business opportunities, thanks to a high demand in the region and in the world.The other range of products deserving due consideration in the strategy for reindustrialisation and value-adding to national natural resources, is that of non-ferrous minerals, of which copper is the highlight.He said the Angolan government also believes that public and private partnerships constitute a fundamental factor in the efforts aimed at stabilising and developing the country.The Angolan Chamber, and the business community it represents, are thus convinced that there is a good opportunity for them to join forces and conduct profitable businesses and contribute to better living standards in the countries.Gomes furthermore appealed for the strengthening of ties of co-operation between the two chambers, based on the understanding within the framework of the SADC Association of Chambers of Commerce, of which they are both members.-Nampa