Sebastião Francisco, who was speaking to journalists about strengthening trade and attracting Israeli investments to the country, highlighted that the volume of trade is below 300 million dollars, in statements made on the sidelines of the 2nd Economic Forum between the two countries promoted by Israeli embassy in Angola.
According to Sebastião Francisco, there is more interest on the Israeli side, but “there are difficulties in reconciling interests”.
“This incompatibility has to do with the organization, especially of our businesspeople. They (…) want to know with whom, in what and where they are going to invest. The projects that businesspeople present here are not always sufficiently structured to be accepted as a premise to place their investments”, said Sebastião Francisco.
The leader of the Angola/Israel Chamber of Commerce said that these businessmen are experienced and to invest in Angola they require “some stability in their partners”.
“That’s a very low number for the capital available in Israel for interest in Angola,” he said.
Angola and Israel, with diplomatic relations since 1993, develop cooperation in the areas of agriculture, health, education, aviation, construction, fisheries, diamonds, security, cartography and telecommunications, with great interest being shown in the pharmaceutical industry.
The official highlighted that the business environment in Angola has changed and is favorable to investment, a testimony that they intend to take to Israel “to motivate those who are there”.
Religious tourism, highlighted Sebastião Francisco, has brought a large number of Angolans to Israel, organized by churches and many on an individual level.
In turn, the Israeli ambassador to Angola, Shimon Solomon, said that the meeting’s main objective was to promote investment in the country, given the great interest on the Israeli side, as well as on the Angolan side.
The meeting brought together leaders and businesspeople from both countries to analyze existing Angolan investment policies and promote the presence of Israeli businesspeople in Angola.
“There are already businesses in several sectors, mainly in the diamond sector, but there is a lot to explore, for example the Lobito Corridor [railway infrastructure] which offers many opportunities that we can embrace”, he stressed.
Shimon Solomon considered that the greatest effort should be made by the Angolan side, with diplomatic relations between Angola and Israel being the best platform to promote new investments and improve the quality of existing businesses.
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