OIL & GAS

Sonangol SA, the state-run oil firm of Africa’s biggest crude exporter, is seeking other markets for its liquefied natural gas after prices in the U.S. fell, the head of its gas unit said (Bloomberg).

ATLANTICO

Angola and South Africa are ready to boost cooperation in the mining sector and enable businessmen from both countries to obtain mutual advantages in their  activities, taking into account the potential of both countries and positions in the existing market (ANGOP).

The chairman of Angola’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIA), António dos Santos, expressed the availability of the Angolan private sector to co-operate with the South African one, as long as risks be shared, ANGOP has learnt.

Micro and small companies from Portuguese-speaking African countries are to be supported as part of a technical cooperation agreement with Brazil, a Sebrae official said Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro (Macauhub).

MINING

Also Germany intends to increase co-operation with Angola in the economic sector, essentially in the areas of mining exploration and energy, the counsellor of the German Embassy in Angola said (ANGOP).

BANKING

Angola’s Sol bank has currently yielded 33 million dollars, chairman Coutinho Nobre Miguel announced. Speaking to Angop, on the fringes of the inauguration of the 47th branch in Luanda, he explained that the institution has had a positive performance, as its funds are estimated at 65 million US dollars. According to him, Sol bank’s credit line is worth USD 230 million, whereas deposits are USD 1.225 billion (ANGOP).

Retail banks operating in Angola saw “excellent performance” in 2008 according to a study presented in Luanda by international consulting and auditing company Deloitte. At the presentation of the study entitled “Banking Under Analysis,” Rui Santos Silva, of Deloitte, said the sector’s results were “good news” and also noted that the analysis was of 2008, a year that was very different to 2009 for the Angolan economy (Macauhub).

ENERGY

Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infra-Estruturas do Alqueva (EDIA), the Portuguese company that manages the Alqueva dam, is to provide technical advice to Angolan state irrigation company Sociedade de Desenvolvimento de Perimetros Irrigados (Sopir) in the area of water resource management (Macauhub).

HUMAN

Angola was the Portuguese-speaking country to see the greatest rise in its position in the United Nations Human Development index, rising from 157th to 143rd place. Although in 2008 only Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe were part of the medium development nations, in 2009 Angola joined this list by rising 14 places in the ranking (Macauhub).