LUANDA, Angola, 23 July 2024: From July 23 to 28, the 39th Luanda International Fair (FILDA) opens its doors in the Special Economic Zone of the Angolan capital with a focus on internationalization. Angola's main business showcase is attracting more and more global markets and investors as the country invests in strategic infrastructure for global trade and industry, such as the Lobito Corridor and the Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport.
For six days, at least 1300 Angolan companies and 254 from 18 countries in Africa, Europe, America, and Asia will gauge the national market in industries and services from more than 30 sectors, particularly commerce and distribution, food and beverages, and extractive and manufacturing industries. Under the theme "Food Security and International Partnership: The Binomial of Economic Diversification," FILDA also aims to give special focus to the areas of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and marine resources.
As the main showcase of Angola's potential, FILDA will host the "Angola – Portugal" business forum, which will feature the presence of Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, as well as the "Macau and Portuguese-speaking Countries" event. The Industrial Association of Angola and the Portuguese Business Confederation will sign a memorandum during the international fair.
All participants will also be able to attend conferences on commercial and industrial activity licensing and on tourism, the most recent addition to the Angolan government's strategy for economic diversification.
The participation of more than 1300 national and foreign companies from the private sector, as well as from the banking and insurance sectors and public institutions at FILDA, not only allows international investors to identify possible partnerships but also to learn about the Angolan government's strategic plans for different sectors, in addition to regulations, laws, and public programs to encourage private investment.
Facilitating B2B contacts is particularly relevant at this current moment in the Angolan economy. Last year, the concession of the Lobito Corridor, a railway that crosses the country's main productive areas and links the copper and cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic, positioned Angola again as a highly strategic logistics piece in international trade.
To strengthen this global position, this year also sees the operation of the new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport in Luanda. In the coming years, this infrastructure could become the most important passenger and cargo hub in the region with intercontinental connections and the annual flow of millions of passengers and hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo.
In this context, Bruno Albernaz points out, "FILDA is clearly established as a highly relevant international business exchange where investors from all over the world can get to know the Angola brand." According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grupo Arena, which organizes the event, "international entrepreneurs want to get to know the real Angola in a practical and simple way. They want to be informed about existing solutions and the technology we have. They want direct contact with partners and institutions to understand what they need to make possible investments profitable and generate new business areas. At FILDA, that's exactly what we offer – a space that shows the country as it is, with its real potential and concrete opportunities where the hundreds of Angolan companies present showcase all their experience and capacity to establish solid and future partnerships," indicates the responsible. "Join us, let's do business, let's formalize partnerships, strengthen our relationships, and create new investments and solutions for Angola," he invites.
This year's edition of FILDA is preparing to surpass all the numbers of last year, which received 75,000 visitors and gathered exhibitors from 10 countries.
