Africa Global Logistic promise to invest 100 million dollars in the Port of Lobito
The Port of Lobito and Africa Global Logistics (AGL) signed, yesterday December 12th, a contract to operate the Multipurpose Terminal of the Angolan port company, a deal in which the international logistics company receives exploration rights for 20 years, in exchange for the payment of 150 million dollars.
The president of the Board of Directors of the Port of Lobito, Celso Rosas, and the executive president of AGL, Olivier Noray, signed the contract that gives rise to the immediate payment of 80 million dollars to the Angolan State, in addition to investments of 100 million dollars over the 20 years of concession.
The contract provides for rights of use and exploitation of the terminal, included in the public domain, under a landlord port management regime, maintenance of jobs for professionals assigned to the terminal, implementation of a training plan with a view to capacity building of Angolan employees and the insertion of national staff of medium and higher levels in the different areas of the concession structure.
The national director of the Legal Office of the Ministry of Transport, Pedro Manza, considered the signing of the contract “a historic milestone”, expressing expectations that “the concession will soon present good results for all customers” of Porto do Lobito
The Multipurpose Terminal, he highlighted, will now have professional management governed by the best international practices in the sector, being able to transform it into one of the most efficient ports in Southern Africa, he stated.
Pedro Manza considered that the signature “represents another step in affirming the province of Benguela and all its potential for the country’s development, with increased values in the employability of youth”.
The official added that, with the transfer of management to Africa Global Logistics, the terminal “is in good hands”, as AGL is an entity with credits in logistics activities, maritime agency, port maintenance and railway concessions.
Pedro Manza considered AGL a company with internationally recognized financial capacity, considering that the Angolan Government made the best choice among the competitors that were interested in the project, with the perspective of looking at the Port of Lobito operating with high levels of efficiency and using the most modern technology currently used in port activities around the world.
Route to competitiveness
The vice-governor of Benguela Lidia Amaro, declared that the Lobito Corridor, where the port is located, is the route of regional and international competitiveness, with such remarkable infrastructures, that it will be possible to maximize the integration of our economy and promote the access to small and medium-sized national producers in the regional market.
“We hope that the signing of the Multipurpose Terminal concession contract will be the starting point for a new era in terms of dynamics that aim to encourage and provide greater development”, he said
The vice-governor stated that the Government’s project underlying the signing of this contract lies in streamlining the import and export process and positioning the country as a logistics platform of international dimension, now that the Lobito Corridor theme has been mentioned in the international arena, with emphasis on the United States and the European Union, as an important transnational project eligible for financing.
