Luanda, March 5, 2026 (Lusa) - Angola spends around US$850,000 per day (around €790,000) to import chicken, the Minister of Industry and Trade said on Thursday, adding that the government's goal is to make the country self-sufficient and, in the future, an exporter.
Rui Miguêns de Oliveira was speaking at a conference on the development of the poultry sector, held in Luanda, adding that Angola imported around 228,000 tonnes of chicken in 2025, equivalent to more than US$312 million (around €290 million).
According to the minister, although imports fell by 18.64% last year compared to 2024, they continue to represent a significant burden on the economy.
"Every US dollar sent abroad is a US$ that is not invested" in Angolan industry, agriculture and job creation for young people, representing a loss of opportunities for wealth creation," he said.
In his opening speech, Rui Miguêns de Oliveira stressed that the government's goal is to transform Angola into a self-sufficient chicken meat producer and, in the not too distant future, an exporter.
The minister pointed out that between 2019 and 2025, national chicken production grew at an "encouraging" rate, from 28,000 tonnes to around 63,000 tonnes, but this is still insufficient to meet annual consumption needs, estimated at 300,000 to 360,000 tonnes.
Corn production, the main component of animal feed, also increased in the same period from 2.8 million to 3.5 million tonnes, which, according to the minister, demonstrates the potential of domestic agriculture.
"When we give tools to our producers, our land responds and our producers expand production," he said, adding that in order to achieve the goals set out in the National Development Plan (PDN), it is necessary to accelerate the pace of growth.
Rui Miguêns de Oliveira considered that poultry farming has the conditions to become "an engine of economic diversification," pointing out that the sector mobilises an entire value chain, from agriculture and industry to logistics and services.
The minister also pointed out the need to strengthen human resources and energy and water infrastructure, factors which, he said, "add value and generate investment and employment opportunities".
According to the minister, food self-sufficiency is at the heart of the priorities of the 2023-2027 National Development Plan, to guarantee food for the population and also to reduce the country's exposure to international price shocks and disruptions in global logistics chains.
Rui Miguêns de Oliveira noted that the current international context, marked by changes in logistics chains associated with oil and the movement of goods in the Middle East, could affect global trade and reinforces the need to increase domestic production.
Among the main challenges facing the sector, he highlighted access to financing, recognising that capital remains "one of the biggest obstacles to expanding production".
"We need financial instruments that understand the risks of agribusiness and the biological cycles of poultry," he said.
The minister highlighted public policies and incentives for production, noting that the government has adopted measures, including "tariff and non-tariff restrictions on imports," to stimulate domestic production while seeking to ensure the population's access to animal protein.
Rui Miguêns de Oliveira argued that Angola should focus on "structural competitiveness that allows for the consolidation of permanent bases for chicken production", calling for the strengthening of partnerships between the public and private sectors.
The conference was organised by the Angola sovereign wealth fund with support from the International Finance Corporation, the financial arm of the World Bank, with the aim of creating a platform for dialogue between the government, producers and investors to boost the development of the poultry sector in the country.
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