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SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Universo
ISSUE 46 | JUNE 2015
www.universo-magazine.com
Angolan oil
drilling at 100
ISSUE 46 – JUNE 2015
INTERNATIONAL
UPSTREAM
CULTURE
CUBA: ANGOLA’S
ENDURING ALLY
BP’S OPERATIONS
IN ANGOLA
IMAGES OF THE
ANGOLAN PEOPLE
Angop
OVERVIEW
Universo is the international
magazine of Sonangol
President
Francisco de Lemos José Maria
Executive administrators:
Anabela Soares de Brito da Fonseca,
Ana Joaquina Van-Dúnem Alves da Costa,
Fernandes Gaspar Bernardo Mateus,
Fernando Joaquim Roberto,
Mateus Sebastião Francisco Neto,
Paulino Fernando Carvalho Jerónimo
Non-executive administrators:
Albina Assis Africano, José Gime,
André Lelo, José Paiva
Shutterstock
Sonangol Department for
Communication & Image Director
Mateus Cristóvão Benza
Corporate Communications Assistants
Nadiejda Santos, Paula Almeida,
Hélder Sirgado, Kimesso Kissoka
Publisher: Sheila O’Callaghan
STEP CHANGE IN
DEVELOPMENT
Editor: John Kolodziejski
Managing Editor: Mauro Perillo
Art Director: Tony Hill
Sub Editor: Brian MacReamoinn
Proofreading: Gail Nelson-Bonebrake
Circulation & Production Manager: Matthew Alexander
Production Assistant: Sebnem Brown
A
ngola’s thirteenth year of peace, celebrated on April 4,
marks a step change in the nation’s development. The
previous dozen years were a period of reconstruction,
of putting the country’s infrastructure to rights: renovating port
facilities; completing, in February, a total rebuild of its three east–
Project Consultant: Nathalie MacCarthy
west railways; modernising all airports; and, most importantly,
Group President: John Charles Gasser
reconnecting the capital city, Luanda, by highway to its provincial
capitals spread across a huge territory.
Now, the foundations of economic development have been
Universo is produced by Impact Media Custom Publishing.
The views expressed in the publication are not necessarily
those of Sonangol or the publishers. Reproduction in whole
or in part without prior permission is prohibited.
This magazine is distributed to a closed circulation.
To receive a free copy:
circulation@universo-magazine.com
Circulation: 15,000
Davenport House, 16 Pepper Street, London E14 9RP
United Kingdom
Tel + 44 20 7510 9595 | Fax +44 20 7510 9596
sonangol@impact-media.com
www.universo-magazine.com
www.sonangol.co.ao
hld.gci@sonangol.co.ao
Front cover: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Universo is printed on
FSC approved stock
2
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
laid, and the next step is to use them to provide the exchange of
goods and services that can enhance Angolans’ standard of living
and quality of life.
An excellent example of this is the inauguration of Luanda’s
first modern purpose-built long-distance national bus terminal
by Macon Transportes in May.
The new terminal operates 80 outbound journeys and has the
capacity to receive 7,000 passengers coming and going each day
to all but one of Angola’s 18 provinces. The buses also operate a
much-needed nationwide parcel delivery service.
The fruits of development, long dreamed of through many
difficult decades, are now becoming a much-appreciated reality.
John Kolodziejski
Editor
Malocha
CONTENTS
4
3
A roundup of national and international news concerning
NEWS BRIEFING
Sonangol and Angola.
10
14
3
THOUGHT FOR FOOD: ANGOLA AT MILAN EXPO
Angolan cuisine in the spotlight.
14
3
SPECIAL AWARD FOR SPECIAL ZONE
18
18
3
FACES OF A NATION
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Luanda-Bengo industrial scheme gains recognition for quality.
Exhibition shows the variety of Angola’s indigenous peoples.
3
24
SOUTHERN ANGOLA: GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The tremendous economic potential of Namibe, Huíla, Cunene
and Cuando Cubango provinces.
32
3
BP
24
BLOSSOMING PARTNERSHIP
The special relationship between Sonangol and BP Angola.
3
The remarkable progress of Angolan oil exploration.
44
3
A CENTURY OF OIL DRILLING 1915–2015
CUBA: ANGOLA’S ENDURING ALLY
Education and health underpin four decades of
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42
32
44
bilateral co-operation.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
3
NEWS BRIEFING
WEALTH FUND INVESTS
$1.4 BILLION
3 Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (FSDEA) is making investments totalling
$1.4 billion available at home and elsewhere in Africa. The mining, forestry
and agriculture sectors will receive $250 million each, while a healthcare
fund will benefit from a $400 million injection.
The fund is also setting aside a further $250 million to provide credit for
entrepreneurs who do not have access to traditional debt funding.
FSDEA chief José Filomeno dos Santos said the financial help aims to ease
Angola’s fiscal dependence on oil revenues at a time of weak energy markets.
“Given the current difficult fiscal context, these investments are
extremely opportune because they can support the economic development
required to reduce state reliance on crude oil revenues,” he pointed out.
Angolan GDP
set to rise
THIRD LARGEST
BRIDGE BUILT
3 Angola opened its third largest bridge in Namibe province in April.
Local governor Rui Falcão recently inaugurated the bridge, spanning the
River Curoca.
It connects the city of Namibe, the provincial capital, to the major
3 Angola’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to
grow this year at a rate of 4.5 per cent and then slow
fishing industry town of Tômbua, 97km away.
Construction of the 800-metre-long, 11-metre-wide bridge took
to 3.9 per cent in 2016, according to the International
Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent World Economic
20 months, and can bear loads of up to 100 tonnes.
report said.
The IMF also noted that inflation in the country
could increase from 7.3 per cent in 2014 to 8.4 per cent
this year as a result of falling world oil prices.
4
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Angop
Outlook. Last year Angola’s GDP grew 4.2 per cent, the
NEWS BRIEFING
CINGUVU FIELD ON STREAM
3 Sonangol operating partner, Italy’s Eni, has begun oil output at
of oil. Further discoveries there will be hooked up to the existing
the second field in the West Hub Development Project. Cinguvu
production infrastructures.
started production two weeks ahead of schedule and is located in
“This is another important step within the innovative hub-
Block 15/06, about 350km northwest of Luanda and 130km west of
building strategy at the base of our success in Block 15/06 in
Soyo. The first field on stream was Sangos last November. Sangos
Angola,” said Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi. The Cinguvu field came
and Cinguvu together currently produce 60,000 bpd and are
on stream on time and on budget, he added, and confirmed
scheduled to be joined by a third field, Mpungi, by the end of 2015.
the company’s “excellent track record in terms of efficiency,
West Hub comprises the Sangos, Cinguvu, Mpungi, Mpungi
technology and innovation.”
North and Vandumbu fields situated in water depths between
Eni operates Block 15/06 with a 35 per cent stake, and
1,000 and 1,500 metres. The wells are connected to FPSO N’Goma
Sonangol EP is the concessionaire. Sonangol P&P also owns
which has a processing capacity of 100,000 bpd.
a 35 per cent share, while Angola-based SSI Fifteen Ltd has a Eni has estimated Block 15/06 holds over 3 billion barrels
25 per cent stake and Falcon Oil Holding Angola 5 per cent.
VP at Bandung summit
Angop
SBM Offshore
FPSO N’Goma fitting out at Sumbe
Vice president Manuel Vicente with his Zambian
counterpart Inonge Wina
3 Angola’s vice president, Manuel Domingos Vicente,
representing President dos Santos, attended the ceremony
marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the ‘Bandung
Declaration’ in Indonesia. Bandung, 150 km from the capital,
Jakarta, hosted world leaders at the commemoration after
they attended the Asia/Africa Summit held April 22-23.
Attendees included prominent African and Asian leaders
such as the president of China, Xi Jinping and Iran’s president
Hassan Rouhani.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
5
Puma Energy’s new mooring system
Angola’s big buoy
3 Puma Energy opened one of the world’s largest
more environmentally-friendly tanker loading and berthing.
conventional buoy mooring systems (CBMs) in Luanda Bay on
Pierre Eladari, CEO of Puma Energy, said that this CBM
April 21. The fuel-loading buoy anchored offshore serves as a
facility in Luanda would provide security of supply to and
strategic mooring point for Africa and allows a wide range of
from Angola as well as the rest of Africa.
carriers to berth while loading or offloading oil products. The
CBM is located next to Puma Energy’s Fishing Port Terminal
in the bay, which Puma is currently extending and when
completed will have a total storage capacity of 276,000 m3.
The new system is part of the government’s long-term
strategic objective to improve the country’s infrastructure.
Puma Energy first came to Angola in 2004 as a partner
for Sonangol, and today operates four businesses there:
The CBM can accommodate vessels up to 225,000
Pumangol Retail, a petrol station network; Pumangol
tonnes and drafts of 19.3 metres. It has a product transfer
B2B, a fuel wholesaler; Pumangol Bunkering, supplying
rate of 4,000 m per hour. The mooring buoys are fitted with
fuel for vessels, and AngoBetumes, for bitumen storage
navigational aids to assist with more effective, safer and
and distribution.
3
ANGOLA–DRC JOINT VENTURE
3 Angola and the Democratic Republic of
a deep-sea oil exploration area covering
The project has an estimated cost of
the Congo’s (DRC) joint oil project in Block
700 sq km centred on the Lianzi field, which
$2 billion.
14 is set to start up this year and is expected
straddles their maritime border. It has
to reach 36,000 bpd, said Angolan oil
estimated reserves of 70 million barrels.
(15.75 per cent) and includes Total E&P Congo
minister José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos
“There is oil on the Angolan side, as well
(26.75 per cent), Cabinda Gulf Oil Company
during a visit by Congolese President Denis
as on the Congo side, and a decision was
Ltd (15.5 per cent), Sonangol (10 per cent),
Sassou Nguesso to its neighbour at the end
made for a joint operation in which funding
TotalFinaElf (10 per cent), Eni (10 per cent),
of March.
will be split 50-50,” Botelho de Vasconcelos
Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (7.5
said. The agreement dates back to 2011.
per cent) and Galp Energia (4.5 per cent).
The two countries are jointly developing
6
The consortium is operated by Chevron US
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Puma Energy
NEWS BRIEFING
NEWS BRIEFING
Huge diamond found
in Angola
SONANGOL WINS
BENGUELA FAIR PRIZE
3 Sonangol won the prize for best Angolan participant
at the 2015 Benguela International Fair held May 13-17.
Subsidiaries Sonangol Distribuidora, SonAir,
3 An exceptional diamond weighing 63.05 carats has been found at the
Sonagás and SIIND represented the company at the
Lulo mine in Angola. The mine is located in Lunda Norte province and
fifth edition of the fair at the Ombaka National Stadium.
is a joint venture between Australian company Lucapa Diamond and
The fair was attended by 200 exhibitors from Angola and
the Angolan government.
abroad, with 10 companies coming fom Portugal alone.
The Lulo concession is a source of Type IIa diamonds, which Lupaca
says are “the world’s rarest and most valuable gems”. This category
of precious stone accounts for less than 1 per cent of total supply and
contains the world’s most famous large, white, flawless diamonds.
Angola is the world’s fourth largest diamond producer by value
Lucapa
and sixth by volume.
ANGOLA AND ECUADOR
MOVE CLOSER
3 Angola’s foreign minister, Georges Rebelo Chikoti,
and his Ecuadoran counterpart, Ricardo Armando Patinõ
Aroca, signed three agreements paving the way to greater
cooperation on May 19.
During the South American foreign minister’s two
Sonangol signs quality
deal with Total
day visit to Angola, he sealed agreements that could
3 Sonangol Academia, the educational arm of Sonangol EP, has signed
facilitate cooperation in the oil sector, and also university
a cooperation agreement with Total E&P aimed at improving technical
training for Angolan students, especially in information
training and certification in its School of Safety. The school, based at
technology, in the South American country.
Cacuaco just north of Luanda, provides training in health, safety and the
Minister Aroca also held working visits with Angola’s
environment for workers operating in the oil sector.
oil minister Botelho de Vasconcelos, Sonangol board
Baltazar Miguel, Sonangol Academia’s board president, and Jean-
president Francisco de Lemos Maria, Environment
Michel Lavergne, head of Total E&P Angola, signed the agreement on
minister Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim and the
behalf of the two organisations on May 16.
Governor of Luanda, Francisco Graciano Domingos.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
7
Brazuk Ltd
President awards
best cities
Luanda’s new InterContinental Hotel
SURGE IN HOTEL
ACCOMMODATION
Panoramic view of Accra
3 The winners of President José Eduardo dos Santos’ first African
Mayor Awards for excellence in leadership and achievements in urban
development have been announced.
3 Angola will have another 2,000 hotel rooms by the end
The cities chosen were Accra, Ghana (a $200,000 prize in the ‘Best
of 2015, promised the State Secretary for Hotels and
Large City’ category), Kinondoni, Tanzania ($100,000 for best medium city)
Tourism Paulino Baptista Domingos while speaking in
and Praia, Cape Verde ($50,000 for best small city).
Luena, Moxico province, during the inauguration of the
Hotel Kawissa.
The presentation took place during the Second Africa Urban
Infrastructure Investment Forum held on March 29-30, 2015, in Luanda.
The extra capacity will arise from the opening of 25
Speaking at the ceremony, the organiser and publisher of African
new hotels, including the 390-room InterContinental
Business magazine, Omar Ben Yedder, said that the African Mayor Awards
Hotel under construction in Luanda and the Hotel
recognise, celebrate and reward city leaders or governors who are helping
Palanca Negra in Malange, with 146 rooms.
transform Africa’s growing metropolises.
Domingos said the new hotel units would make it
possible to create thousands of new jobs in a sector that
“The winning cities tonight are being led by individuals who are showing
essential leadership qualities as they help build cities that work,” he said.
“And we will need more exemplary leadership, good governance and
of Hotels and Tourism currently has 14,000 rooms
innovative thinking, while paying close attention to our culture and way of
registered, spread over 185 hotels, 88 tourist villages,
living when dreaming of the cities of tomorrow. Our leaders need to be close
14 apartment hotels and six inns.
to the people, and our winners tonight are demonstrating these qualities.”
NEW TERMINAL COMPLEX OPENS
3 President José Eduardo dos Santos has inaugurated a commuter
boat and tourist terminal located alongside the new Slavery Museum
complex in the Benfica district of Luanda. The opening ceremony
formed part of the April 4 Peace and National Reconciliation Day
celebrations.
The terminal has a floating dock which can accommodate two
catamarans, each capable of carrying 136 people. The new facility can
handle over 200 passengers and will help to reduce commuter traffic
jams from Luanda’s southern suburbs.
8
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Angop
already employs more than 202,000 people. The Ministry
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NEWS BRIEFING
NEWS BRIEFING
KIZOMBA PHASE 2 STARTS UP
3 Sonangol and Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15)
commenced Phase 2 of the Kizomba Satellites project
on May 4. The new oil production area consists of the
Kakocha, Bavuka and Mondo Sul fields in Block 15.
Initial oil output began at Mondo Sul at a rate of 10,000
barrels per day (bpd). This will rise to 70,000 bpd when
Kakocha and Bavuka come on stream. The three new
operational fields are located in deepwater at depths
between 750 and 1,100 metres and contain reserves
totalling around 190 billion barrels.
The project features a substantial amount of
locally-manufactured equipment. Nearly all the
deck modules and subsea assembly took place at
construction yards in Soyo, Dande, Luanda and Lobito.
Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Ltd is the
block’s operator with a 40 per cent stake. Its partners
are BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd (26.67 per cent),
Eni Angola Exploration BV (20 per cent) and Statoil
Angola Block 15 AS (13.33 per cent), while Sonangol
is the concessionaire.
FPSO Kizomba
FIGURED OUT
4.5%
latest IMF forecast of
Angolan GDP growth
for this year
100
years
of oil drilling
in Angola
ANGOLA IN NUMBERS
63.05
carats
size of giant diamond
found at Lulo mine
2,000
extra new hotel rooms in 2015
$1.4
billion
investment by Angola’s
sovereign wealth fund
at home and in the
rest of Africa
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
9
CULTURE
THOUGHT FOR FOOD:
ANGOLA
AT MILAN EXPO
10
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
T
The striking three-storey Angola
he Angola Pavilion at the
Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015
international exhibition Expo
Milano 2015 was officially
opened by the general commissioner of
the country’s delegation, Albina Assis
Africano, a non-executive Sonangol EP
board member. Angola’s Secretary of State
for Co-operation, Ângela Bragança, cut the
ribbon, and Angola’s ambassadors to Italy,
Greece and Switzerland were also present.
Representatives of 145 countries
and 50 heads of state and government
attended the opening ceremony of the
expo on May 1, hosted by Italian Prime
Minister Matteo Renzi. The event is
expected to receive more than 29 million
visitors by the time it ends on October 31.
The theme of Expo Milano 2015 is
‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’. The
organisers have described the showcase
as a means to reflect upon and seek
solutions to the contradictions of the
world, in which some 870 million people
suffered from undernourishment in
2010-12, while around 2.8 million died
from obesity-related diseases in the
same period.
Angola’s participation in this
important debate is titled ‘Food and
Culture: Education for Innovation’.
The pavilion is stimulating a wider
examination of Angolan culture
through its varied culinary riches
as well as the rituals and traditions
associated with them. It has engaged
visitors and revealed different aspects
of the country’s culture with all its
indigenous and assimilated influences.
The exhibition showcases and explains
which foods provide Angola’s nutrition
and how people currently use them. It
also looks at their future use and the
development of a healthier and more
Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty Images
sustainable lifestyle.
“It’s an opportunity to educate our
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
11
ExpoAngola
CULTURE
“It’s an
opportunity
to educate
our younger
generation to
have a
healthy diet”
– Albina Assis Africano
younger generation to have a healthy
third. There are two restaurants on the
beer, which was a great success at the
diet,” said Albina Assis Africano.
top floor; one offering national dishes to
previous expo staged in South Korea, has
the general public and a second smaller
once again been popular with the public.
“What we want to do is re-educate
from the starting point of what we have,
area, which acts as a laboratory to create
show young people that we can make
a ‘New Angolan Cuisine’, a fusion of
Angolan handicraft, music recordings and
good dishes and present them as well as
various foods prepared in co-operation
merchandising items; part of the area
those from Europe,” she explained.
with guest chefs and served to visitors.
also offers some of the nation’s home-
The idea has been to show the full range
grown teas, coffees and dried fruits.
The striking Angola Pavilion covers
three levels and has a giant baobab tree
reaching from the ground floor to the
of Angolan gastronomy.
The country’s very own Cuca
In addition, there is a bazaar selling
At the pavilion, there is also a section
reserved for children, where they can
Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images Entertainment
paint and play using educational items
Record crowds attending the Expo
under the care of Angolan TV presenter
Alice Berenguel.
This year Angola’s exhibition area
is larger than at any previous events,
covering 300 square metres. Assis
Africano – a veteran of international expos
with vast experience – said it had taken
two years of planning and hard work to
organise and complete the structure.
The educational aspect of the
country’s pavilion has involved creating
awareness of what is nourishing, while
the innovation dimension has entailed
encouraging best practice in preparing
indigenous foods. This includes
appreciating traditional wisdom and
custom regarding foods that modern
12
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Matteo Valle/Getty Images Entertainment
(Left) Angola’s ambassador to Italy,
Florêncio de Almeida, alongside
Albina Assis Africano
CULTURE
ANGOLA’S INTERNATIONAL EXPO HISTORY
1.Angola’s first Expo was at the
Seville World Exhibition, Spain 1992
2. Lisbon International Exhibition, Portugal
1998
3. Expo Aichi, Japan
2005
4. Expo Zaragoza, Spain
2008
5. Expo Shanghai, China
2010
6. Expo Yeosu, South Korea
2012
7. Expo Milan, Italy
2015
research has subsequently shown to be
healthy and sustainable. Innovation has
meant utilising new technologies and highend science for greater holistic development.
The Angolan contribution to Expo Milano
2015 has also placed particular emphasis
on the role of women in the transmitting of
knowledge and in food supply chains.
The display pointed out that women
play a very important part in the production
and preparation of food, and are influential
in the cultural processes of maternity,
family management, hygiene, health, safety,
home economy and education.
The pavilion’s theme ‘Food and Culture:
Education for Innovation’ conveys the
message that the nation is growing and
developing its own methods of food safety
and control. Visitors have an interactive
experience that highlights these efforts and
their relevance within the wider context
of Angola, giving them a broad idea of the
country and its geography, cultural heritage,
history and diversity.
In addition, attendees can enjoy shows,
entertainment and cultural performances by
Angolan groups, both within the pavilion and
on outdoor expo stages at the Milan site.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
13
Malocha
INDUSTRY
SPECIAL AWARD
FOR SPECIAL
ZONE
14
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Luanda-Bengo ZEE at Viana
A
ngola’s Luanda–Bengo Special
Economic Zone (ZEE) received a
Gold award at the 17th edition
of the Century International Quality ERA
convention held in Geneva on March
21–22. It was given in recognition of the
quality, innovation and excellence in
personnel, resources, equipment and
services at the ZEE.
The awards ceremony, arranged by
the Madrid-based organisation Business
Initiative Directions, was attended by
companies from the world of business,
professionals in economics, the arts and
corporate communications, quality experts
as well as academics and diplomats.
Previous winners have included global retail
giant Walmart, steel colossus ArcelorMittal
and Angolan diamond company Endiama.
Carla Silvestre, quality director of the
Angolan ZEE, said that the award would
give the project’s clients greater confidence
since it came from an international body. It
showed that quality played a leading role,
she explained, and hence the achievement
would serve to boost development of the
zone and encourage it to strive for even
greater customer satisfaction.
The Luanda–Bengo ZEE is a purposebuilt industrial condominium, supplied with
power, telecommunications, storage, water
supply and waste disposal facilities, along
The achievement would serve to
boost development of the zone
and encourage it to strive for even
greater customer satisfaction
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
15
Carla Silvestre, quality
director of the Angolan ZEE
Malocha
INDUSTRY
with other central support services. Companies
established there have the added advantage of
“A step forward on the long road to
re-industrialise our country,” was how
Malocha
key locations.
Angop
having a logistical infrastructure and occupying
President José Eduardo dos Santos described the
Luanda–Bengo ZEE at Viana during the official
inauguration of the first eight industries there in
2011. President dos Santos said then that the aim
of the industrial parks was to replace or reduce
imports, stimulate domestic production and
increase employment by creating a link between
products from the factories and plans for 200,000
homes in Angola.
There are now 26 industrial concerns in
operation in the zone. Eventually a grand total of
73 outfits will be installed there, providing more
than 14,000 jobs and generating several thousand
others indirectly.
Companies located in the ZEE are able
to stimulate production, competitiveness
and innovation, as well as create jobs. The
zone consists of seven industry reserves, six
agricultural reserves and eight mining reserves
located in the towns of Viana, Cacuaco, Dande
and Ambriz, close to the capital Luanda.
Sonangol’s industrial investments arm,
Sonangol Investimentos Industriais (SIIND) was
“It’s a step forward on the
long road to re-industrialise
our country”
given the mission of fostering the Luanda-Bengo
ZEE by promoting, developing and co-ordinating
the management of industrial projects in the area
back in October 2010.
16
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
– President José Eduardo dos Santos
Shutterstock
INDUSTRY
COMPANIES ESTABLISHED IN
THE LUANDA-BENGO ZEE
Angolacabos:
Angtor:
taps
water pumps
Shutterstock
asphalt
BTMT:
Bombágua:
Galvanang:
low-and medium-current
electrical material
chemicals
Inducabos:
Inducarpin:
Indugalv:
cables and wires
furniture making
galvanisation
Indupackage:
Indupame:
Induplás:
packaging
metal buildings
plastic bags
Induplastic:
Indutubos:
high-density
plastic pipes
Indutive:
plastic sanitary and
kitchen accessories
and paint containers
paints and varnishes
Mangotal:
Infer:
Shutterstock
Betonar:
fibre optic cables for
telecommunications
metals
metallic towers,
telecommunications and
electricity pylons
Mecametal:
Ninhoflex:
metal components
mattresses
Pivangola:
farm irrigation
equipment
Matelectrica:
low-voltage
electrical material
Pipeline:
PVC and polyethylene
pipes and joints
Telhafal:
Transplás:
metal roofing
plastic packaging
Univitro:
Vedatela:
construction glass
metal fencing
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
17
CULTURE
Ovanyaneca woman
18
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
FACES
OF A NATION
A fascinating photographic exhibition sponsored by Sonangol
explores the diversity of Angola’s native peoples. Universo admires
the striking images
By Lula Ahrens
The Origins team on the road
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
19
(Left) Ovimbundo women
CULTURE
“The Angolan woman has
considerable weight within Angolan
communities. She plays a central role
both within the family and at work,” he
told Universo.
Photographing the women, however,
was not straightforward.
“It was a process of approximation.
We contacted the local administrations
and sobas [the villages’ traditional
leaders] first before talking with the
women themselves.
“Next, we had to gain their trust
before they opened up about their lives
and families. When I finally took their
shots, the women were very proud of
the results.”
Also crucial to the project’s
A
success was investigative journalist
The making of...
and translator Carla Prudente, who is
remain largely a mystery to
The idea of a book about the Origins
a specialist in cultural anthropology
the wider public. In an attempt
project came from the Zwela Group, one
and speaks various native Angolan
to shed more light on their decisive
of Africa’s largest media companies.
languages, mainly those of the south.
role in the development of Angolan
Sonangol has generously backed the
She is the daughter of an evangelical
society, Sonangol has sponsored a
publication of the 77-page volume, which
pastor and grew up speaking Umbundu
major photographic exhibition – Origins:
contains some 141 photographs, almost
in Angola’s southern region.
The Peoples of Angola – as well as an
exclusively of women from Angola’s
accompanying book.
indigenous ethnic groups.
ngola’s many native peoples
The Origins project is fundamentally
Prudente works as a reporter at
Rádio Nacional de Angola. A well-known
Francisco Prata, director of
personality, she appears regularly in
a tribute to traditional Angolan women.
photography at Muxima Filmes, shot all
talk shows such as Janela Aberta (Open
It aims to explain the anthropological,
the images. Prata is Angolan by birth, but
Window) and Dia a Dia (Day by Day) on
linguistic and geographical significance
has lived in Brazil and Portugal, where he
Angolan national TV. She was the only
of the symbols of their physical identity.
worked as a photographer in the fashion
female member of the Origins team office.
The project covers a great variety of
and PR industries.
ethno-linguistic groups.
He returned to
According to Sonangol, the
Angola for a short-
enterprise is intended “to preserve
term project in
Angolan culture and to contribute
2006–08. After Zwela
to the development and mutual
commissioned
understanding between Angola’s
him for other
various native tribes.” The Origins
assignments,
exhibition opened at the Sonangol
he decided to
headquarters gallery space in the spring
permanently return
of 2015. Future exhibitions at other
to his mother
venues are currently being planned.
country in 2013.
20
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
ETHNO-LINGUISTIC GROUPS
IN THE ORIGINS PROJECT
Ambundu Besangana
Ambundu Kimbundu
Bakongo
Cokwe
Ibinda Ovahelelo Muhakavona
Ovahelelo Muhimba
Ovahelelo Mukuvale
Ovahelelo Mundimba
Ovambó Kwanyama
Ovanyaneca
Ovimbundo
Vangangela
CULTURE
Exhibition opening at Sonangol HQ
“The Origins project was a challenge
did not speak a language, we hired an
and philosophy facilitated the contact-
that I embraced,” she said. “I already had
interpreter. But in terms of knowledge of
making process tremendously. It is all
numerous contacts thanks to a calendar
the history and origins of the northern
about respecting the other’s culture,
in Angolan national languages that I had
people, I was well-versed.”
which is crucial. Respect always has to
produced, but I had never before carried
The content of the project evolved
be the first step.”
out a project of such magnitude. The
over time. “The initial aim was to
calendar focused mainly on southern
photograph members of various Angolan
Clearer understanding
Angola, while for the Origins project we
peoples and explain the symbolism of
“It has been a great pleasure for me to
had to cover the entire country.
their clothes and jewellery. We then
explain to readers what is behind the
progressed towards a deeper perspective:
pictures,” Prudente said, “especially in
universe,” she said. “Communicating
“Angola’s interior is like a different
pre-colonial history, religion and
cases where general perceptions do not
with the people there is not easy, due
symbols of power, among other things.
match reality. People for instance often
to our differences in the perception
Africa has a lot of symbolism. Everything
confuse the Mukuvale in Namibe with
of the world around us. This project
has a meaning.”
the Mumwila in Huíla. They both herd
was a major learning curve for me,
Her father’s experience in the
cattle, and women from both tribes show
especially in the north where I did not
Angolan hinterland helped her a great
their breasts. But there are important
have as much experience. Whenever I
deal. “Knowledge of Bantu moral values
differences between the two.”
The illustrated book accompanying the Origins exhibition
(Origens in Portuguese)
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
21
CULTURE
The look of Cabinda
22
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
CULTURE
Ovahelelo Mukuvale mother and child
She concentrated on the jewellery
is impossible. First of all, in terms
and clothing worn by Angola’s native
of distance, when you travel in the
women. “Their jewels show whether
Angolan interior, people will keep
they have passed the initiation ritual,
telling you that your destination is
whether they are married, single, a
‘close’ when in fact it is 200km away.
mother, from which family they are from
In addition, our deadline was
and so on. The way they dress explains
extremely tight. And thirdly, we faced a
everything they are, so that they receive
huge lack of written scientific material
the treatment they deserve.”
on Angola’s natives.
An important general misconception
“We did not cover all the peoples
clarified in the book concerns the baring
of the north, due to lack of time. We
of women’s breasts.
would have needed six months, not
“Contrary to what is generally
50 days, to fully execute this project.
thought, the exposure of their breasts
Angola’s tribes are geographically very
does not indicate that they are
difficult to access, especially in the
available. This habit is not meant to
rainy season. The people of the south
conquer members of the opposite sex.
have greater cultural wealth, so we
It is a way of demanding respect.”
decided to concentrate more on them.”
The meaning of the exposure of
girls’ hips is an even less understood
phenomenon. “Girls who walk
The team often had to rely on
human messengers instead of phones.
“All contacts were established via
around with bare hips have not yet
local administrations, never directly,”
passed the initiation ritual,” Prudente
Prudente said. “That is a safety
explained. “This ritual symbolises
measure, a relic of the civil war. The
a girl’s physical transition into a
administrations had not been notified
woman. If a girl has not yet passed
in advance by the project organisers.
that ritual, then she cannot yet be
That, too, was our responsibility.
conquered by a man. If a man tries
“At times, due to the tight deadline,
to conquer her anyway, he will
I was forced to write in a car bumping
be punished, in some cases even
up and down. We travelled for almost
expelled from the tribe.”
50 days without any rest. It was crazy,
Team spirit
Prata and Prudente were asked by
but we had a great team and we
supported each other in all respects.”
“It was hard work, with lots of
Zwela to cover the whole of Angola, a
walking,” Prata recalled. “We drove
1,246,700 sq km country, in less than 50
under the toughest circumstances.
days. It was a virtually impossible task,
Think nine hours of driving over
both admitted.
bumpy dirt roads every day. Thank God
For Prudente, the logistics were
there was great team spirit. Had we not
a major challenge. “To gather all the
had that, we would never have been
information within 40 to 50 days
able to make it.”
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
23
PROVINCES
Serra da Leba escarpment
SOUTHERN ANGOLA:
GREAT
EXPECTATIONS
24
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Kostadin Luchansky
Thanks to new and rebuilt infrastructure, southern
Angola is on the cusp of a period of accelerated
development. Universo takes a tour of the four provinces
T
he general perception of Angola’s
clients; however, the next major transformation of
southern provinces – Namibe, Huilá,
the region will occur when long-dormant mining
Cunene and Cuando Cubango – is of huge,
operations in Huilá province are revived.
underpopulated expanses of dry lands where
semi-nomadic peoples wander with little regard
Namibe province
for international frontiers. While this is partly true,
Namibe’s main asset is its port, from where cargo is
the region also contains highly fertile areas with
currently mostly transported along impressive new
abundant waters and substantial mineral reserves.
highways serving the whole of southern Angola.
These sources of potential economic wealth, along
The city of Namibe is the largest centre of
with stunning tourist attractions, are now more
population (282,056) in the province as well as
accessible thanks to massive state investment in
its economic and administrative hub. The desert
new road networks, airports and rebuilt railways.
surrounding the city means there are pristine
Southern Angola’s key axis of development
beaches nearby. This has inspired a long-term
is the totally revamped and re-equipped rail line
plan to expand tourism, build a marina and attract
which links the port of Namibe to Menongue, 907km
investment in seafront residential development
due east in Cuando Cubango province. Since its
and make Namibe a ‘New Dubai’. Thus far all that
completion in August 2012, the railway has provided
is visible of this ambitious goal is a newly laid-out
some passenger services and carried cargoes of
beach promenade, but the potential is clear.
The recently rebuilt Yuri Gagarin Airport
Brazuk Ltd
ornamental granite and vital fuel for Sonangol
Lubango’s new railway station
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
25
Shutterstock
PROVINCES
showed that Namibe was capable of handling large numbers
of visitors when it hosted an international roller hockey
championship in 2013. New hotels and a purpose-built sports
venue seating over 3,000 made the event a success.
Namibe city is also within striking distance of desert
attractions such as the Iona National Park, which has zebras,
ostriches, gazelles and cheetahs as well as the ancient huge
desert plant Welwitschia mirabilis.
The region’s rich wildlife is a growing tourist attraction
The desert coast forms part of the great Namib Desert
which stretches 1,600km from Namibe across neighbouring
Namibia to South Africa. It offers sports fishing and diving in
The province of Namibe also has great solar and wind
isolated, unspoilt locations.
energy potential, and a 100MW wind power park (near
Located 97km south of Namibe, Tômbua is the province’s
Tômbua) is being developed.
second most important city. Its economy is based on the
Heading directly east from Namibe, the desert road and
rich fish and crustacean stocks of the South Atlantic ocean.
railway meet the dramatically steep Serra da Leba escarpment,
Angola’s Ministry of Fisheries in conjunction with private
home to the emblematic ‘Zigzag’ highway which climbs it. Both
companies has invested heavily in new boats, equipment
Namibe and neighbouring Huilá claim the provincial border
and fish and seafood processing. A tuna and sardine cannery
tourist attraction as their own.
absorbed $122 million of spending in 2014. The fishing
industry’s revival also includes provision of a fish market, cold
Huilá province
storage and a fleet of refrigerated trucks for transportation
The ascent of the Serra da Leba marks a clear climatic
throughout Angola and beyond. To enhance training in the
transition from the Namib Desert below to the greener, fresher,
sector, the government plans to inaugurate a fishing academy
more fertile Huilá plateau. Huilá has long enjoyed a reputation
in 2016.
throughout Angola for its healthy climate and its abundant
Tômbua lands around 50,000 tonnes of fish and crustaceans
produce, with strawberries being the best-known.
every year. The local fishing industry is largely artisan, made
The provincial capital, Lubango, is home to Angola’s second
up of many co-operatives and their families. Fishermen
most important industrial concentration after Luanda and
traditionally cure and salt large amounts of the catch in the sun.
is a key route hub north and south as well as east and west.
POPULATION DENSITY
PROVINCE
2,354,398
5,002
Cuando Cubango
510,000
199,049
Cunene 965,288
87,342
53,000,000 130,395
Huilá
(for comparison)
England
26
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
NAMIBE
CUNENE
HUILÁ
ENGLAND
POPULATION DENSITY PER SQ KM
375
57,091
250
471,613
Namibe CUANDO CUBANGO
125
AREA, SQ KM
0
POPULATION
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Ornamental stone is one of the province’s booming
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PROVINCES
industries, and 40 companies quarry and polish
black granite at Chibia, Gambos and Quipungo,
compared with just 12 in 2002. The stone is a muchprized export, and Huilá sells pink, grey, black and
brown granites to India, China, Spain, Portugal, Italy,
Germany and Canada as well as tiles to Zambia,
Namibia and South Africa.
Huilá’s water resources are also renowned in
Angola and there is a thriving bottled mineral water
company serving the whole country. The same water
for the popular Nocal beer.
The Namibe–Menongue railway continues from
Shutterstock
supplies a modern Coca-Cola plant and the brewery
Lubango to agribusiness centre Matala, where it
intersects the River Cunene as it flows from north to
south. Huilá’s temperate climate and fertile soil have
made it a magnet for investment. The province also
has extensive cattle farming.
Matala’s centrepiece is the recently refurbished
40MW dam and reservoir, the focal point of a 350kmlong section of a river with potential to irrigate
350,000 hectares (3,500 sq km) of land.
New food-processing facilities include a 12,500
tonne/year tomato canning plant, and storage
facilities have been built to optimise the use of
Kostadin Luchansky
Kostadin Luchansky
Lubango: famed for its strawberries
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
27
Luanda
N
Gove Dam
50 Km
Chipindo
Caconda
50 miles
Quilengues
Quipungo
Coca-Cola plant,
Nocal brewery
(Quarrying)
Lubango
rr
a
Le
ba
Iona
National
Park
(Iron ore,
Manganese)
Bicuar
National Park
Chibemba
Missimbo
go
Techamutete / Mpopo
(Gold)
(Granite)
Mupa
National
Park
Xagongo
Epupa/Baynes
Calueque Dam
Baynes Dam
(proposed)
Longa
(Granite)
Virei
en e
Cun
(Iron ore,
Manganese)
Ruacana Falls
Mark Clydesdale (BZO)
Wind hoek
Aquedu
ct
CUNENE
Ondjiva
o
ng
ba
Cu
(Reserve)
Kassinga
Chibia
NAMIBE
Namibe
Desert
Cuchi
an
Se
da
Cubango
Menongue
Jamba
Ganjelas
Mineral Water
Bottling Plant
(Fishing)
Matala Dam
en e
Cun
Cu b
Namibe
Tômbua
HUÍLA
(Gold)
ANGOLA
NAMIBIA
farmland and stimulate output well above subsistence levels.
of $500 million per annum. The project includes an on-site
Huge grain silos mark the skyline at Matala and provide food
processing plant and a long-term plan to build a steelworks.
security, an insurance policy against the severe droughts that
still afflict parts of southern Angola.
Angola has also invested around $600 million in gold
exploration at two sites near Jamba, Mpopo and Chipindo.
Two dams on the Cunene north of Matala are also under
consideration: Jamba Ya Oma and Jamba Ya Mina, with a total
Cuando Cubango province
capacity of around 200MW.
Angola’s second largest province has as its capital Menongue,
Just south of Lubango is Ganjelas near Chibia, another
the terminus of the railway from Namibe. While the region has
smaller agribusiness complex also based on a dam, irrigation
substantial mineral resources attracting investor interest, such
and power plant. Both Matala and Ganjelas enjoy excellent
as copper, diamonds, iron, mercury, gold, quartz and uranium,
road and rail links to Lubango and elsewhere.
it is the tourism potential of its vast wilderness, especially
in the Okavango area in its far southwest borderlands, that
Iron and gold
Further along the Namibe–Menongue railway are Jamba
captures the public imagination.
Cuando Cubango is investing $350 million in tourism
and Kassinga, in Huilá’s mineral belt. This is the most
with an eye to developing its share of the Kavango–Zambezi
significant economic area and thus was the rationale behind
Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). This is an
building the railway from the coast. Here, 300km due east of
intergovernmental project to create a wildlife sanctuary across
Lubango, preparations are underway to restart iron ore and
huge swathes of land where Angola, Botswana, Namibia,
manganese mining.
Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. The 440,000 sq km park, an
There are proven iron ore deposits of 400 million tonnes,
area the size of Sweden, could eventually emulate the high-
with reserves likely to be 10 times that amount. When previously
spending tourism success of the Pantanal swampland reserve
worked in the 1970s, mine output was worth the equivalent
which borders three countries in South America.
28
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Cuíto
Cuanavale
ZAMBIA
ANGOLA
PROVINCES
Hydropower,
Irrigation
Wind
power
Forestry,
Ecotourism
Agribusiness,
cattle rearing
Mining,
Quarrying
Fruit, cereals,
vegetables
National capital
Provincial capital
Town, village
Road
Rail
d
an
Cu
River
PROVINCE
o
ANGOLA
Luanda
ANGOLA
0
Cataí
400 km
200 miles
HUÍLA
NAM
Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier
Conservation Area (KAZA)
IB E
0
CUNENE
CUANDOCUBANGO
Shutterstock
Okavango
Kostadin Luchansky
CUANDO-CUBANGO
KAZA is home to the world’s biggest elephant population – around 250,000
– and a wealth of other endangered plant and animal species. Angola is
responsible for 90,000 sq km of the reserve.
Public and private investors are investing $570 million in mining, according
to the deputy governor for economic affairs, Ernesto Kiteculo.
The provincial government is also investing $1.375 billion in long term
farming projects to increase local food supply. The Longa area will specialise
in rice and vegetables – its first harvest, thanks to Chinese co-operation, was
Kiteculo said there was also much work to be done in rebuilding 4,000km
of roads and bridges, and this would need $3 billion.
Shutterstock
1,300 tonnes – and the Missombo region will grow vegetables.
Cunene and Cuando Cubango were the provinces most affected by the
long war with apartheid-era South Africa in terms of infrastructure damage,
and there remains a massive legacy in landmines whose removal is likely to
take until 2025.
In 2014, Menongue’s Comandante Kwenha airport was rebuilt providing a
welcome boost to both tourists and investors.
Cunene province
Cunene is the only one of Angola’s four southern provinces not to be connected
to the railway, but there are plans to extend a branch from Lubango through its
capital Ondjiva and on to join the network in neighbouring Namibia.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
29
Shutterstock
SUBSIDIARY
PROVINCES
The KAZA project is home to the world’s largest elephant population
Most economic activity in
the province is informal
and farming is mainly
subsistence, as is fishing
on the River Cunene
Cunene’s economy is largely
on the River Cunene. There is some
Energy is also a pinch point. Cunene
uses diesel generators to supply 6MW
and it imports another 6MW from
Namibia. Angola and Namibia have long
had joint projects dating back to before
independence for developing power and
irrigation dams on the River Cunene that
forms part of their border. A feasibility
study was completed on the $1.37 billion
600MW Baynes Dam in November 2014.
In common with the rest of the
influenced by its position on Angola’s
cattle-rearing carried out by several
region, Cunene has many tourist
southern border. Ondjiva lies just 40km
semi-nomadic peoples, some of whom
attractions that are now benefiting
from Namibia and is at the convergence
live as hunter-gatherers.
from the country’s improved transport
of the country’s two major (and muchimproved) north–south highways. There
is vigorous trade on the border as large
Cunene has iron and copper deposits
but has as yet no plans to exploit them.
Water is scarce, but a huge
network and people’s greater willingness
to travel. Among the highlights are the
dramatic 124-metre-high Ruacana Falls,
numbers of truckers from Namibia and
improvement was made to Ondjiva’s
the Mupa National Park and the largest
South Africa stop en route to markets
domestic supply in 2014 when a 100km
baobab tree in Africa.
in Angola.
aqueduct from the River Cunene was
connected to the capital. There are also
The road ahead
province is informal, and farming
plans to develop irrigated agriculture
Southern Angola has come a long way
is mainly subsistence, as is fishing
along the river at Manquete and Calueque.
since peace was re-established 13 years
Most economic activity in the
30
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
SUBSIDIARY
PROVINCES
Angola’s emblematic
baobob trees
Kostadin Luchansky
Kostadin Luchansky
HEIGHT
OF A
PERSON
A young Muckawana boy
ago; extensive road rebuilding has
meant that overland long-distance
travel has now resumed and the
opportunities for commerce and
tourism have boomed.
All this can be measured by
the massive increase in hotel
accommodation throughout the
country and also by the surprising
appearance of the distinctive,
exuberantly necklaced and bangled
Mumuíla women of the Nyaneka
peoples, now seen as far away as
Luanda from their native rural homes
in Huilá.
The significant economic
explosion will come with the restart
of large-scale mining in Huilá’s
mineral belt, but meanwhile there
will be a steady increase in crossborder trade and co-operation, not
least in the development of the
KAZA wildlife project.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
31
BLOSSOMING
PARTNERSHIP
International oil and gas major BP is one of Sonangol’s most important partners.
Universo profiles the company’s operations in Angola
32
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
BP’s new Luanda HQ
UPSTREAM
B
P (formerly British Petroleum)
has invested $27 billion in
Angola since starting operations
there in the 1990s, according to local
vice-president, Paulo Pizarro. Over
the next 10–15 years, the firm aims to
add a further $15 billion towards its
exploration and development efforts in
the country.
“These are large investments
whose return, naturally, will be over
the long term, and that’s why our
strategy in Angola involves a larger
and more ample contribution to the
socioeconomic development of the
country,” Pizarro explained.
“We would like to be seen as
a company that contributes to
socioeconomic development, not only
through the production of oil and of the
payment of taxes, but also through the
jobs that we create,” he added.
Apart from the hundreds of
Angolans that BP directly employs, it
has also helped stimulate the creation
of over 15,000 jobs in goods and services
related to its operations.
One of the world’s largest oil and
gas outfits, BP has a workforce of over
84,000 people in some 80 countries.
The company undertakes exploration
and production activities in 18 of those
countries, including Angola, which
accounts for around 10 per cent of its
daily global net output of 2.1 million
barrels of oil and gas. In 2014, BP globally
registered an operating cash flow of
$32.8 billion and a profit of $12.1 billion.
BP is the largest net oil producer in
Angola, ahead of Total, Chevron and
ExxonMobil, the company told Universo.
BP Angola history
Although BP has had a presence in
Brazuk Ltd
Angola since the 1970s, it was only in
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
33
UPSTREAM
1995 that the company got involved in
the upstream, initially through Amoco,
with its exploration licence in Block 18. BP’s Angolan oil production dates back
to 2007. Current oil projects stem from
the prospecting licences acquired for
“We would like to be seen as
a company that contributes to
socioeconomic development”
deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks
in the Congo Basin following the merger
with Amoco in the 1990s.
In 2011 the company invested in a
further five deep- and ultra-deepwater
– Paulo Pizarro,
BP Angola vice-president
blocks in the Kwanza and Benguela
basins. These cemented its position as a
leading player in Angola with prospecting
the world’s imagination because of its
in Angola. It led to the building of two
interests in nine blocks covering a
scale. At around 2,000 metres below
new plants in Luanda; one for wellhead
massive total area of 32,650 sq km.
sea level, the oil development project
machining and the other for assembling
BP now sees the Angola region as
is one of the deepest in Africa and one
‘Christmas trees’ (wellhead units, each
one of the jewels in its exploration and
of the largest interconnected subsea
consisting of a set of valves).
production portfolio.
structures in the world.
Located in the deepwater in the
The enterprise also stimulated the
development of a marine supply base
Key operations
northeastern part of Block 31, PSVM’s
and multi-jointing facility at Porto
BP has production-sharing agreements
production started up in December 2012.
Amboim, 260km south of the capital.
with Sonangol in the Lower Congo Basin,
It is currently around 170,000 bpd.
Other sites in Angola also played a role,
where it operates its most important
offshore blocks, 18 and 31.
The Greater Plutónio project in Block
The multi-billion dollar PSVM project
with BP contractors manufacturing
has a floating production, storage and
metal structures and equipment in
offloading vessel (FPSO) at its heart and
Luanda and Lobito.
18 was its first operated deepwater
connects to over 77,000 tonnes of subsea
development in Angola. This block
equipment which stretches 28km from
is over 301,000 bpd from Blocks 18
represents an area of 5,000 sq km at
north to south.
and 31, the company also holds non-
depths varying from 1,200 to 1,600
During construction in 2010, the
While BP Angola’s own gross average
operating stakes in two prolific blocks,
metres and contains five fields, all
project employed 10,000 people in 16
15 and 17, run respectively by Esso
named after chemical elements: Gálio
countries and in 12 fabrication yards
Exploration Angola and Total.
(gallium), Cromo (chromium), Cobalto
(cobalt), Paládio (palladium) and
Plutónio (plutonium). Production began
in October 2007 and currently stands at
around 160,000 barrels per day (bpd). Block 18 also supplies associated
gas to the Angola LNG (liquefied
natural gas) plant at Soyo.
ANGOLA’S INTERNATIONAL OIL
MAJOR LOADINGS, 2014*
Total..................................................................................... 580,000
Chevron................................................................................ 365,000
The second major venture is in Block
ExxonMobil........................................................................... 329,000
31, which comprises the Plutão, Saturno,
BP......................................................................................... 301,000
Vênus and Marte fields, named after
planets and collectively known as PSVM.
This installation has captured
34
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Source: Angolan Ministry of Finance
*barrels of oil per day
UPSTREAM
BP
BP OPERATED BLOCKS
Block 18 Greater Plutónio development
BP 50%, Sonangol Sinopec International (SSI) 50%
Water depth3 1,200-1,600 metres
Fields3 Cobalto, Plutónio, Paládio, Cromo and Gálio
Future fields3 Césio (caesium), Platina (platinum) and Chumbo (lead)
Crude stream3 Plutónio
Loading point3 FPSO Plutónio
Daily output3 170,000 bpd*
Block 31 PSVM development
BP 26.67%, Sonangol EP 25%, Sonangol P&P 20%, Statoil 13.33%,
SSI Thirty-One Ltd 15%
Water depth3 greater than 2,000 metres
Fields3 Plutão, Saturno, Vênus, Marte
Crude stream3 Saturno
Loading point3 FPSO PSVM
BP
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
35
BP
BP
UPSTREAM
THE PSVM PRODUCTION SYSTEM
In addition, it owns a 13.6 per cent share in the Soyo
succession plans, coaching and knowledge transfer. This is enabling
Angola LNG facility, which is set to resume operations later
Angolans to build their professional competency and take on the
this year.
roles of technicians, engineers and senior leadership positions
The firm operates two other blocks (19 and 24) in the
within the organisation.
Kwanza and Benguela basins where oil production has
yet to commence. Production-sharing contracts for these
Made in Angola
blocks were signed in December 2011.
BP is committed to supporting the development and enhancing
Altogether there are five non-operating partnerships
the capability of Angolan companies. BP spent $565 million in
in Blocks 15, 17, 20, 25 and 26. When BP took a 40 per cent
stake in Block 26, it gained access to five new offshore
blocks in the Kwanza and Benguela basins, totalling 24,240
sq km in area. The potential of these acquisitions lies in
BLOCKS IN EXPLORATION PHASE
their geology, which is thought to mirror that of Brazil’s
hydrocarbon-rich pre-salt region.
Block 19
Angolanisation
BP 50%, Sonangol P&P 40%, China Sonangol 10%
Water depth: 500–1,800 metres
There is close co-operation with the government in its
policy of Angolanisation, and to this end more than
79 per cent of the 1,000 staff that BP employs in Angola
are nationals.
The company is committed to developing local
employment through training staff, implementing rigorous
36
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Block 24
BP 50%, Sonangol P&P 50%
Water depth: 600–1,800 metres
Greening the desert
UPSTREAM
BP NON-OPERATED ASSETS
Block 15
Esso Exploration Angola (operator) 40%, BP 26.67%,
Eni 20%, Statoil 13.33%
2013 on promoting local content in helping develop jointventure partners and suppliers’ capacity to provide increased
numbers of products and services in Angola. A consequence of this is a boost to the socioeconomic
development of the country.
The PSVM project has one of the highest levels of local
input, accounting for about 20 per cent. Several components
have been manufactured or assembled in Angolan fabrication
yards at Soyo, Dande, Luanda and Porto Amboim. These
include pipelines, Christmas trees, manifolds, jumpers,
buoyancy tanks, umbilicals and wellheads.
The company in the community
BP supports several educational projects in Angola and has
strategic partnerships with universities, schools and local NGOs.
Engagement with Angolan society at every level has
resulted in firm relationships with key stakeholders, such as
community and church leaders, government, academics and
others to reach mutually beneficial outcomes.
The oil company’s sustainable development and community
investment programme focuses on education, enterprise
development, enhancing institutional capacity and social inclusion.
Water depth3 650–1,400 metres
Fields3 Kizomba A (Hungo, Chocalho, Marimba
Norte), Kizomba B (Kissanje, Dikanza), Kizomba C
(Mondo, Saxi Batuque), Kizomba Satellites 1 (Clochas,
Mavacola), Kizomba Satellites 2 (Kakocha, Bavuca,
Mondo Sul)
Block 17
Total E&P (operator) 40%, Esso Exploration Angola
20%, BP 16.67%, Statoil 23.33%
Water depth3 600–1,500 metres
Fields3 Girassol, Jasmin, Rosa, Dália and Pazflor
(Acácia, Hortênsia, Perpétua, Zínia)
CLOV (Cravo, Lírio, Orquídea, Violeta)
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
37
UPSTREAM
BP ANGOLA TIMELINE
1970s Initial Amoco involvement in Angola
1996 Amoco acquires Block 18 rights
1999 BP assumes operator position in Block 31
2006 FPSO Greater Plutónio built
First oil Greater Plutónio.
2007 Agreement to take part in Angola LNG project
FPSO PSVM with its distinctive turret
2008
BP makes 16th discovery in ultradeepwater Block 31.
Approval given for Block 31 development
A BP-funded postgraduate programme for a master’s of law
degree (LLM) in Oil and Gas, and also a master’s degree in Oil and
2011
BP and Sonangol sign new productionsharing agreement as operators of
Blocks 19 and 24, with interests in Blocks
20, 25 and 26
Gas Business Development, in partnership with the Faculty of
Law of Agostinho Neto University, launched in April 2007, has so
far produced over 100 graduates. Backing has also been provided
for the engineering and science faculties at the university.
The school support programme includes improving
children’s access and study conditions in schools across the
2012 First oil from FPSO PSVM in Block 31
country, as demand for education far outweighs supply given
Angola’s youthful population. There are also initiatives to
stimulate young people’s interest in mathematics and sciences. In enterprise development, BP assists rural cooperatives
that have evolved from the Greater Plutonio micro-
2013
FPSO PSVM reaches plateau output
First cargo delivered from Angola LNG
credit project. In partnership with local NGOs, the firm
supports conservation, farming, water and sanitation
initiatives for rural communities in Cunene province, Southern
38
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
UPSTREAM
DULCE HENRIQUES
Dulce Henriques is a Benguelaborn chartered engineer now
working at BP’s offices in Luanda.
She attended the polytechnic in her
hometown before going on to study
for a degree in Lisbon.
Her choice of an engineering career was influenced by a
secondary school teacher who told her 25 years ago that computers
would be the future. She was considering doing biology but instead
opted for electronics, the subject nearest to computing in Benguela
at that time.
After winning a scholarship, to Portugal she graduated in
Electronics and Telecommunications from ISEL (Instituto Superior
de Engenharia de Lisboa). “It was the natural choice,” she explained.
Henriques later specialised in instruments and control on joining
BP. By the end of 2011, she had been promoted to projects and
modifications manager.
“This was a big leap in my career, as there were many technical
aspects to this job and also a lot of administration, as I had two
offshore teams reporting to me, plus procurement issues and the
management of a subcontract company. So I was at full stretch in
managing these extra aspects, at the same time as having a baby.
Responsibilities included a project portfolio ranging from $200,000 to
$15 million – and certainly wasn’t boring!
“Things are always changing and you need to adapt, which has
Angola, a region often affected by extreme climate
taught me to manage. There were only three people in the team when I
change (droughts and floods). The programme
started; now there are 20. It was a very interesting role and I learnt a lot.
competed for the Sirius Award and won the Global
“I can’t complain with what I have achieved so far. Since March
Partnership Award in recognition of its impact on the
2015, I have moved into my second management role. I’m now
communities and its value in establishing sound and
the Discipline Engineering manager for BP. So I have dreams to
effective partnerships.
accomplish more,” she added.
Funding has also helped other rural co-operatives,
This engineer is happy in her current role. “I like working in
mainly run by women, in Benguela province with a
a mixed environment with people from across the world and with
focus on improved farming and irrigation techniques
different experiences, and when we are struggling, we come together.
and the development of local markets. There is a variety of teams and people doing multiple things, so it’s
The Green Namibe project aims to fight the
desertification of that province through planting
trees and using modern irrigation. The project is
always good to learn and interact with each other.“
She also has no problems working in a predominantly male industry.
“I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but I’m not shy and consider myself a
creating a micro-climate while providing agricultural
tough cookie,” adding she would definitely recommend a career in the
students and their professors with valuable practical
oil industry to any young Angolan women.
experience and research material.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
39
UPSTREAM
BP
DINAYAME MENDES
40
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
UPSTREAM
Dinayame Mendes, a process engineer on the Greater
Plutónio project, joined BP as a trainee technician in 2006.
Born in Uíge in 1984, the daughter of a Baptist church
pastor, she spent two and a half years in Hull in the UK on
an apprenticeship, mostly at the Dimlington Gas Terminal,
part of the North Sea gas system. While there, she received
awards of Overseas Student of the Year 2007 from the Hull
Association of Engineers and Student of the Year 2008
(Engineering Industries Association of Humberside). She
was also named 2008 gold medallist by the Worshipful
Company of Tallow Chandlers, an ancient English guild
which once regulated the fats and oils trade, but now
supports education and training in the energy sector.
Mendes was chosen to join BP’s production chemist
team in 2008 and undertook a year-long training
assignment with Nalco in Sugarland, Texas. She then
joined the Greater Plutónio support team as production
chemist, overseeing chemicals management services, and
then as production technologist.
After completing a BSc (Hons) in Environmental
Science with the Open University in 2011, she joined the
Challenge Programme in Process Engineering, taking on
the role of assistant operations engineer on the FPSO PSVM
working on a 28-day rotation basis.
“It was a unique experience to be part of hook-up,
commissioning and start-up of production of the largest
subsea development project in the world,” she said.
Next she became a part of the Area Engineering
Support Team in October 2013, where her role was to
provide process engineering support to the Greater
Plutónio project and “consistently and efficiently deliver
safe, reliable and compliant operations.”
She is continuing her further education with an MSc in
Process Systems Engineering at Cranfield University, UK
and hopes to complete it in September 2016.
“I like the diversity of challenges I encounter in my
job. It exposes me to learning from and interacting with a
multidisciplinary team,” she told Universo.
In her leisure time, she enjoys travelling. She does,
however, recognise the downside of being away from
family and friends and missing out on important events.
Mendes is one of the growing number of Angolan
women working in the oil industry. “There are not as
many as I would like to see. Particularly in operations and
engineering roles, there are not so many women.”
Her first experience of working in a male-dominated
environment was at an onshore gas terminal in East
Yorkshire, and there were a lot of barriers to overcome.
One was the robust language of her male work colleagues.
So when she went offshore, she more or less knew what it
would be like.
“I was acquainted with the environment. As anywhere
else where the job is traditionally seen as ‘male’, being
a woman, I had to work harder than my male peers to
prove that I could do things. Fortunately I also happened
to find some good people who supported me, gave me the
opportunity and valued my contribution to the success of
the team.”
“I like the diversity of challenges I encounter in my job.
It exposes me to learning from and interacting with a
multidisciplinary team”
– Dinayame Mendes, Process Engineer, Greater Plutónio project
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
41
ANNIVERSARY
A CENTURY OF
OIL
DRILLING
1915-2015
I
n 2015, Angola celebrates 100 years
subsequently but were abandoned by
Petrofina made an onshore discovery
since oil was first drilled in its
June 1916 owing to a collapse in their
just south of Luanda. Angola’s oil output
territory. The very first successful oil
pipe-work structure.
was minimal until drilling began in
well was sunk in the Dande river valley,
shallow offshore waters in the late 1960s.
around 20km west of Caxito (Bengo
Oil strike
Production offshore began in 1969, and
province) and 40km north of Luanda.
Finally the industry pioneers struck
that marked Angola’s take-off as an oil-
There was very good reason to choose
lucky. They drilled the Dande-4 well
producing nation.
this prospecting area, because oil in the
from August 14, 1916, through to
form of asphalt, also known as bitumen,
September 19, 1917, reaching a depth of
100,000 bpd, and this amount doubled in
was in evidence on the surface, where it
857 metres and producing 6 barrels per
2001. A mere four years later, production
had for centuries been seeping through
day (bpd) of heavy oil. The old wellhead
reached 1 million bpd as drilling moved
the rock structures and then hardening.
is still visible to this day, as it has been
into deep waters.
The area is known to geologists today as
preserved by the oil slowly oozing out
the Libongos oil seeps.
and covering it. This has protected it
very first drilling operation took place,
from tropical heat and rainfall.
Angola now produces nearly 1.8 million
The drilling of Angola’s first well,
Dande-1, began on March 25, 1915, and
Angola’s early drilling campaigns
terminated in July the same year. It
lasted until June 1927. They totalled 13
proved to be dry, but the clay extracted
wells altogether but were deemed not
gave off the strong aroma of oil. This
worth developing.
was enough to give the explorers
heart. Another two wells were drilled
42
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Oil exploration only seriously
resumed in the 1950s, when Belgian firm
By 1984, the country was tapping
Today, a hundred years since the
bpd and drills more than 80 per cent of
this is drilled in deepwater.
Universo would like to thank Canadian
geologist Tako Koning for researching this
item and providing data
Shutterstock
ANNIVERSARY
2011
2001
Girassol producing at
rate of 200,000 bpd
1975
1955
1700s
30 barrels of
bitumen shipped
to Lisbon and Rio
de Janeiro for
caulking ships
1915
First well drilled.
Portugal’s
Companhia de
Pesquisas Mineiras
(PEMA) drills
Dande-1 near Barra
do Dande
First commercial
oil find at Benfica by
Belgium’s Petrofina
1956
Oil production starts
in Angola
1968
Gulf oil makes
first offshore oil
discovery in Malongo
field (Cabinda)
1969
1916
Very first oil flow.
Dande-4 well tested
and produces 6 bpd
1915
Offshore oil
production begins
Texaco finds
Essungo oil field.
First discovery in
Block 2
2004
1996
2007
Elf Petroleum
detects Girassol
field in deepwater
Lower Congo Basin
at water depth of
1,300 metres
Angola oil output
reaches 1 million bpd
Sanha condensate
project in Chevron
Block 0 starts up
2008
Angola oil
production averages
1.9 million bpd
Total and partners
achieve 1 billion
barrels cumulative
oil from deepwater
Block 17
2011
Sonangol awards
11 pre-salt blocks
in deepwater
Kwanza Basin
2012
Maersk Oil makes
first deepwater
pre-salt oil
discovery in Kwanza
Basin. Cobalt also
announces positive
pre-salt result
2012
2009
ExxonMobil and
partners reach
1 billion barrels
cumulative oil
production from
deepwater Block 15
Chevron and
partners hit 4 billion
barrels cumulative
oil mark in Block 0
2015
Angola celebrates
the hundreth
anniversary of
oil drilling
2015
bpd: barrels of oil per day
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
43
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INTERNATIONAL
Views of Havana
44
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
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ANGOLA’S
ENDURING ALLY
Cuba is one of modern Angola’s longest-standing and most practical allies.
Universo looks at how this trans-Atlantic relationship has bloomed
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
45
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INTERNATIONAL
Havana: the island’s capital city
T
he Caribbean island of Cuba
signed 40 years ago,” he recalled during
dependence on international co-operation
has a special rapport with
a visit by Cuba’s first vice president,
in education and health. That is what
Angola, having played a decisive
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, to Angola
Cuba’s aim is,” she explained.
supporting role in the latter’s struggle
in March. Indeed, four decades later
for independence in 1975. The generosity
the island nation continues to provide
health, because these areas are probably
of spirit displayed by the Cuban people
solid support for Angola’s economic
what the Cuban government is strongest
displayed in the heroic process and in
development, specifically in the health
in, and human resources are our
the subsequent reconstruction of the
and education sectors.
greatest riches.”
country captured the imagination of
many observers around the world.
Angola’s minister of state and head
According to Cuba’s ambassador to
“It’s always about education and
As part of the co-operation in
Angola, Gisela Beatriz García Rivera, there
healthcare, Angola is using Cuban
are over 4,000 Cubans working in the
products to fight malaria by eliminating
of the president’s office, Edeltrudes
country. Around 42 per cent of these are in
its vectors.
da Costa, emphasised the enormous
the health sector and 40 per cent in further
sacrifices that Cubans made fighting
education, while a reciprocal agreement
factories in Angola for biocides and
alongside Angolans to help safeguard
enables 2,841 students who have grants to
biofertilisers, and in transferring
independence and territorial integrity.
study in the Caribbean country, mostly at
technology, because we have experience
a high educational level.
in this field. We have put forward
“They were years of great historical
transcendence that will never be
“Our main focus is on training local
“We are interested in building
a proposal. Now we need to look at
forgotten. It isn’t by chance that our
personnel so that Angola can become
finance, and see how we can do it,” the
General Co-operation Agreement was
self-reliant and, in time, come to end its
ambassador said.
46
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
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INTERNATIONAL
“It’s always about education
and health, because these
areas are probably what
the Cuban government is
strongest in”
– Gisela Beatriz García Rivera,
Cuba’s ambassador to Angola
Another potential way for the two nations to work
together is in the joint production of medicines, an area in
which Cuba has considerable experience. Indeed, it already
exports many drugs to Angola.
Power to the people
Apart from areas related to health and education, trade
between Angola and Cuba is not very substantial.
“It’s true that our trade should increase and we can, for
example, start with oil. Sonangol is prospecting in Cuba to
find oil, and this could be a promising area,” said Ambassador
García Rivera.
“It’s in our interest to learn much with Sonangol, because it
has great experience in drilling offshore. It’s a company that’s
CUBA: SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS
Infant mortality
4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births
(comparison: UK 4.4, USA 6.2, Mexico 12.6, Brazil 19.2)
Life expectancy
78.2 years
(UK 80.4, USA 79.6, Mexico 75.4, Brazil 73.3)
Health expenditure
8.6% of GDP
(UK 9.4%, USA 17.9%, Mexico 6.1%, Brazil 9.3%)
a friend, with a great deal of knowledge of how the oil sector
works, an area in which we want to enter,” she pointed out.
“We have some experience of drilling oil in Cuba, but not
to the level that Sonangol has.”
Doctors
6.72 per 1,000 population
(UK 2.78, USA 2.45, Mexico 2.1, Brazil 1.89)
During his diplomatic and economic mission to Angola,
Vice President Díaz-Canel Bermúdez made a point of visiting
Sonangol’s Sonils oil industry logistics base in Luanda.
Together with Minister Edeltrudes da Costa, he reviewed
Education spending
12.8% of GDP*
UK 6.2%**, USA 5.2%**, Mexico 5.1%**, Brazil 5.8%*)
co-operation in health, education, construction, energy and
water, and transport among other matters.
They discussed the possibility that Cuba may take part
in rural electrification in Angola, building power lines and
Literacy
99.8% (age 15 and over)
(Mexico 94.2%, Brazil 91.3%)
substations to support development in the countryside.
Angola’s power generation is expected to be boosted shortly
with the completion of two huge dam projects. The upgraded
*2010 **2011
(Sources: World Bank, UNICEF)
Cambambe dam should produce a total of 960MW, up from
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
47
INTERNATIONAL
MEDICINES WITHOUT BORDERS
In the many years since the Cuban revolution of 1959,
This selfless action over Ebola so shamed the rest of the
detractors of the island nation have labelled it as an 'exporter'
world “that British and US politicians have felt obliged to offer
of revolution. This perception stemmed from its active backing
congratulations. John Kerry [US Secretary of State] described
for the oppressed around the world, which Cubans see as
the contribution of the state the US has been trying to overthrow
their revolutionary internationalist duty. Indeed, it was such
for half a century as ‘impressive’,” the newspaper reported.
a mission that led to Che Guevara’s death in Bolivia in 1967,
Cuban humanitarianism actions in Haiti and the Kasmir
having some years previously visited the Congo where he met
earthquake also drew attention in 2005. In May 2015, Cuba’s
Angola’s first president, Agostinho Neto.
altruism was again on show with its practical aid to victims of
Nowadays, Cuba’s international profile derives from its
the huge Nepal earthquake.
equally heroic medical aid all around the globe.
There are now 50,000 Cuban doctors and nurses working in
The country led the world in responding to the Ebola
60 developing countries, The Guardian noted. As well as saving
emergency in West Africa last year and drew widespread
millions of lives, Cuban doctors have carried out 3 million free
admiration, even from its critics.
eye operations in 33 countries. The paper quoted Che Guevara’s
According to British newspaper The Guardian, the Cubans
“answered that call before it was made. It was first on the
daughter Aleida, who is like her father a doctor, and who
herself has served in Africa.
Ebola frontline and has sent the largest contingent of doctors
and nurses.” Cuban doctors were on the ground first and came
“We are Afro-Latin Americans and we’ll take our solidarity
to the children of that continent.”
prepared for the long haul.
Industry
Oil, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction,
steel, cement, farming machinery, sugar
Economic sectors
Agriculture.....................................................3.8%
Industry..........................................................22.3%
Services.........................................................73.9%
(CIA World Factbook 2013 est.)
48
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Shutterstock
Agriculture
Sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice
Shutterstock
Population........................ 11.3 million
Capital .............................. Havana (population 2.1 million)
Land area.......................... 109,820 square kilometres
(comparison: Angola 1,246,700 sq km, Texas 692,241 sq km,
England 130,395 sq km)
Shutterstock
CUBA DATA
Shutterstock
INTERNATIONAL
180MW, at the end of 2015, and the
interferon, EGF (epidermal growth
massive new Laúca Dam will add
factor) for burns, PPG (policosanol) for
another 2,067MW starting in 2017.
treating hyperlipidemia, Melagenina for
vitiligo, Heberkinasa (streptokinase) for
Biotech Cuba
thrombosis in cardiovascular disease,
Cuba’s dependence on sugar, tobacco
and monoclonal antibodies.
research is very intense, and scientists
commitment to developing its education
hope to develop an effective HIV
and health services, it should come as
vaccine in addition to producing anti-
no surprise that the leading edge of the
HIV medications. Regarding bacterial
emerging ‘knowledge economy’ has a
vaccines, the University of Havana’s
strong medical connection.
Synthetic Antigens Laboratory recently
announced that the Hemophilus
had its beginnings in 1973, according to
influenza type B synthetic vaccine was to
American doctor, Byron L. Barksdale,
be produced locally.
owner of the Havana Bay Company. That
Courtesy of the Cuban Embassy, Luanda
and, given the government’s long-time
Biotechnology (biotech) in Cuba
Cuba’s ambassador at the
Faculty of Medicine, Lubango
In particular, HIV/AIDS viral
Dr Barksdale explained that Cuba
year, scientists and physicians, including
holds the position that patents should
Dr. R. Lee Clark (who died in 1994) from
not be enforced and poor nations and
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston,
individuals should not have to pay for
Texas, made a trip to Havana and held
‘expensive’ medications manufactured
discussions about new frontiers in
by multinational “for profit”
biotech, especially its possible use in
pharmaceutical corporations.
Cuban doctors at work in Angola
and other commodities is waning,
Biotech Cuba
Doctors are Cuba’s greatest export
viral infections such as dengue.
Cancer vaccine
scientists went to Finland to learn how to
According to technology magazine
make the drug interferon from white blood
Wired, Cuba is also on course to develop
cells. They subsequently visited Houston
a promising therapeutic vaccine
and also traveled to Eastern European
against lung cancer. In April, New York
countries and the former USSR to glean
Governor Andrew Cuomo visited the
as much information as they could about
island’s capitaland helped facilitate the
new biotech procedures and techniques.
finalisation of an agreement between the
Today, Cuba has had considerable
Shutterstock
Taking the lead from Dr Clark, Cuban
Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Cuba’s
success in the following areas: vaccines
Centre for Molecular Immunology to
(Type B meningococcal meningitis),
develop the vaccine Cimavax and begin
Ambassador Gisela Beatriz García Rivera visits a Benguela medical centre
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
49
INTERNATIONAL
clinical trials in the US. The hope is that American researchers
ANGOLA - CUBA
will allow Cimavax to undergo further testing and that it will
obtain the Food and Drug Administration’s approval.
“The chance to evaluate a vaccine like this is a very exciting
1965
Cuban international mission provides military
assistance to MPLA in exile in Congo Brazzaville
prospect,” Candace Johnson, CEO of Roswell Park, told Wired. Part
of her excitement is because so far research on the vaccine shows
that it has low toxicity and is relatively cheap to produce and store.
Researchers in Cuba worked on Cimavax for 25 years before
1975
Cuban forces help repel apartheid South Africa’s
attack on Angola. With Cuban aid, Angola
becomes secure base for liberation movements
such as Namibia’s Swapo and South Africa’s ANC
the Ministry of Health there made it available to the public in
2011, the magazine reported. A phase II trial from 2008 showed
that lung cancer patients who received the vaccine lived an
average of four to six months longer. Japan and some European
countries are also trialling the drug.
1988
Wired attributed the priority given to biotech and medical
Agreement of withdrawal of apartheid troops
from Namibia. Cuban troops leave Angola
research in Cuba to an outbreak of dengue fever in 1981 which
affected 350,000 Cubans.
1990
Namibia gains independence from South African
control. Nelson Mandela freed from prison on
February 11
Forty years of friendship
Reflecting on the upcoming 40th anniversary of Angolan
independence, Ambassador Garcia Rivera said, “We view these
40 years with much joy and satisfaction because we see that
Angola is developing. It’s an independent country which is getting
1994
Mandela elected president of South Africa in April
increasingly stronger. With great economic growth and every year
it is increasing its influence in the international, regional, and
world community.
“All this makes us happy. Happy to have been with Angola
during the most complicated times in its history, and happy to see
Che Guevara, an inspiration to Cuban internationalists
the country advance with all its difficulties and contradictions,
as all countries have, but a country that each day is stronger,
advancing with firm steps.”
In a move aimed at strenthening economic relations with
Cuba, Angola’s vice president, Manuel Domingos Vicente, visited
the Caribbean island in late May. While there, Vicente laid a
wreath at the mausoleum in Havana’s Colon Cemetery, paying
tribute to the 2,000 Cuban internationalists who fell during their
mission in Angola, laying a wreath at the mausoleum in Havana’s
Colon Cemetery. Over a quarter of a million Cubans have served in
Angola as soldiers, teachers, doctors, construction workers since
independence in 1975.
Vice president Vicente said he could not miss visiting the
monument and expressed his gratitude for Cuba’s support in
preserving Angola’s sovereignty.
Angolan-Cuban relations are set to reach a new high. On May
21, Angola’s ambassdor in Havana, José César Augusto Kiluanje,
announced that Sonangol was likely to start drilling for oil in
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Cuba’s territorial waters in 2016.
INTERNATIONAL
RAFAEL MORACÉN LIMONTA – CUBAN AND ANGOLAN HERO
Angola’s relations with Cuba actually date back to before
worked alongside the future president, Agostinho Neto, who
independence in 1975, a process in which the Caribbean country
at one time treated him for malaria. Moracén fought against
was eventually to take a key part. Cuban assistance to the MPLA
Portuguese colonial troops when they attacked the MPLA
began in 1965 when the Angolan liberation movement had its
camp and he also took part in some ambushes. He left Africa
headquarters in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville.
in July 1967.
One of those Cubans involved was General Rafael Moracén
In November 1975, he returned to Angola, initially as head of
Limonta. His military career largely reflects not only Angola’s
a tank regiment, and was posted to Cabinda province, where he
transformation into an independent country and now a vibrant
saw action. He later performed a key role in Angola’s defence
fast-growing economy, but also the development of the
against apartheid South Africa and in 1977 organised the
revolution in his own homeland.
security of President Neto and that of President José Eduardo
Born a semi-literate son of a farm worker and a maid in
Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba, in 1939, he worked as a
shoeshine at the age of 14 and then a cane-cutter. Inspired by
the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, he joined Cuba’s
guerrilla fighters in the Sierra Maestra in 1958.
In 1965 he found himself in Africa, having volunteered with
There, for his services, President Fidel Castro awarded him
the ‘Hero of the Republic of Cuba’ medal in 1989.
In 2014, while he was serving as military attaché at the
Cuban Embassy in Angola, General Moracen was awarded
Angolan nationality and promoted to Lieutenant-General in
Angola, aged 75, by President dos Santos.
Angop
five others to be a military advisor in colonial Angola, where he
dos Santos until 1982, before returning home.
SONANGOL UNIVERSO
51

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