Government meets business at iPAD Angola 2009

The first Infrastructure Partnerships for African Development (iPAD) Angola conference will be held in Luanda, Angola from 24 - 26 March 2009. The Angolan government will be using this platform to facilitate foreign investment in the country. According to Aguinaldo Jaime, head of the national investment agency ANIP, despite the worldwide economic downturn, the nation's war-ravaged economy is expected to remain robust.

"At this moment of crisis, those who want to invest in our economy (...) to create jobs, wealth and contribute to the well-being of Angolans will merit all our attention and care," says Jaime.

The government expects 11.8% economic growth in 2009, down from 15,6% last year, though it has indicated that it could revise this estimate downwards.

The iPAD Angola 2009 conference aims to provide a forum for government and business to meet and explore opportunities for developing and investing in the infrastructure sectors of power, mining, banking and financial services, oil and gas, public works and transport, and telecoms/ICT.

The Ministry of Industry of Angola and its development arm, the Institute of Industrial Development of Angola (IDIA), under leadership of new director Dr Benjamin Dombolo, have also pledged their support to iPAD Angola 2009, and have committed to encouraging investment in Angola.

The three-day conference starts on 24 March 2009 with workshops focusing on opportunities and procedures for investment in Angola. The main conference starts on 25 March, with sessions regarding infrastructure sectors such as power, mining, and banking and financial services.

Main topics and speakers:

Priority investment sectors and investment incentives
Workshop presented by the Industrial Development Institute of Angola (IDIA)
Tax requirements and legislation governing investment in Angola
Fernando Barros, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Angola
Risk factors and insurance requirements in the Angolan market
Alex Rimmer, GA Angola Seguros
Beneficiation within the diamond industry
Laureano Paulo, senior adviser to the Board of Directors of Endiama, the major diamond mining company in Angola
The Multi-Sectoral Emergency Rehabilitation Programme: addressing infrastructure challenges through investment
Alberto Chueca Mora, country manager of the World Bank in Angola
Strategies for mobilising finance and risk mitigation in the Angolan and regional resources and infrastructure industries
Jon Marks, editor African Energy

Other speakers at iPAD Angola 2009 include:

Euclides Brito, Director of Planning, ENE, Angola
Alexandre Chequer, Partner, Thompson & Knight LLP, Brazil
Kiala Ngone Gabriel, Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry, Angola
Dr Bane Maleke, Development Bank of Southern Africa
Antonio Belsa da Costa, Chairman of the Angolan water utility EPAL
Remigius Makumbe, SADC Director of Infrastructure and Services.

Product showcase

The iPAD Angola 2009 product showcase will display the technologies and products for the power, mining and water industries. Companies to showcase this year include: Aberdare Cables, Belotti, Conlog, DBSA, Dupont, Energy Electronics, Helfcon, Honeywell, Greenbro, Megger, Natcom, Omicron, Phelps and Dodge, Phillips Lighting, Redline, SAEEC, SM Telcom, Southern Mapping and Transformer Protector.

More upcoming iPAD events:

iPAD East Africa: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 11 - 13 August 2009
iPAD DRC: Kinshasa, DRC, 6 - 8 October 2009
iPAD West Africa: Accra, Ghana, November 2009

Visit www.ipad-africa.com to view the complete series of iPAD events.