Luanda, July 20, 2026 (Lusa) - A Chinese private investment agreement worth $900 million (€789.2 million) was signed on Monday in Luanda for the sub-concession and construction of the Port Terminal at the Barra do Dande Integrated Development Free Trade Zone.
The investment protocols for the sub-concession and construction of the Port Terminal of the Barra do Dande Integrated Development Free Zone, located in the province of Bengo, were awarded by Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande, S.A. (SDBD), to Huatong Angola Industry, Ld.ª and Berkshire Waterhouse Infrastructure Development LTD.
Speaking to the press, the chair of SDBD, Roque Saraiva, said that two agreements had been initialled: the first for the sub-concession of the port terminal, with an investment of around $450 million (€394.6 million), and the second for the sub-concession of the infrastructure, with an additional value totalling $900 million.
The sub-concession will run for 25 years and may be renewable, depending on the results and viability of the business.
According to Roque Saraiva, the modernisation project for the Barra do Dande Port Terminal comprises three phases, the first lasting 24 months, with the second and third phases due to be completed by 2029/2030, by which time the port terminal will be fully built.
Once the first phase is complete, the port terminal can begin operations and facilitate the export of goods manufactured in that free trade zone, he said.
The project is designed to accommodate ships with a capacity of up to 80,000 tonnes, with an expected turnover in excess of $10 billion.
«This is entirely a private-sector investment, and the project's development strategy provides for the involvement of strategic partners. In this particular case, in line with that strategy, the investment is provided entirely by the private sector,» he noted.
For his part, the chair of Huatong Angola Industry, Zhang WenDong, emphasised that, once the project is completed, the Barra do Dande Port Terminal will be of paramount importance for improving the regional transport system, maximising the use of coastal resources, increasing logistics capacity and promoting industrial development, thereby enhancing the significance of this infrastructure for the southern region.
Zhang WenDong emphasised that, at present, limited port logistics capacity is hindering full distribution of output from the industrial complex.
He called on the Angolan authorities for greater political support for the terminal's future operation, in the allocation of shipping routes and the coordination of logistics capacity.
João Rufino, a member of Berkshire Waterhouse Infrastructure Development LTD, a financial partner of Huatong Angola Industry, told the press that the sum of $900 million will be released in phases, as approvals are granted.
«We are currently going through the approval process (…), but very soon, as soon as the institutions have given their full approval, we are ready to move on to the next phase,» he emphasised, noting that the investment will be channelled into the construction of port infrastructure, energy facilities and access roads to the zone, for national and international institutions.
The Barra do Dande Free Zone was designed to boost the economy and create around 21,000 jobs; the Aluminium Industrial Park is already established in the area, the Sino-Ord Integrated Industrial Park, which includes more than 10 manufacturing units, and others currently under construction, such as the Edible Oil Refinery, which is expected to be completed by mid-2028.
Huatong Angola Industry operates in the Barra do Dande Free Trade Zone through the Aluminium Industrial Park, the first phase of which began production in January this year, creating 1,200 direct jobs and 800 indirect jobs.
NME/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
