Luanda, Aug. 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The Angolan Minister of Agriculture and Forestry said on Wednesday in Luanda that Angola wants Brazilian businesspeople to be present in the country, but refuses to beg them to come.
«Please understand, I am no longer willing to get down on my knees and beg: ‘Please come.' If you don't want to come, you don't have to, but you also don't need to be here all the time complaining about inconveniences, failures and shortcomings. Enough is enough,» said Isaac dos Anjos during the Angola/Brazil Agribusiness Forum, which is taking place in Luanda.
In his opening address, dos Anjos emphasised that Angola has made 800,000 hectares of land available to Brazilian businesspeople for them to survey, develop and set up Brazilian companies, integrating them with local communities.
The minister emphasised that reassurances had been provided for Brazilian investors through the financial structure involving the BNDS (45%), B-B-PROEX (23%), BDA (5%), FDESA (17%) and producers (10%).
According to the minister, in addition to the land made available, «there is no shortage of water, no shortage of electricity, and no shortage of projects»; however, the initiative is not moving forward. «If it isn't moving forward, we must look for other partners,» he added.
According to dos Anjos, Angola expects «everything and more» from Brazil, asking the country «not to feel disadvantaged» by the Angolans' desire to enter this large market for the export of soya and other products.
«We are asking Brazilians to set up here, produce here, and export your money back to Brazil, and the conditions we offer are what we have. Anyone who wants to ask for more and better, I recommend: go to Australia or else go to Brazil».
«Coming to Angola and saying you can only go to the farm if you have electricity, my friend, go to Brazil – those conditions are in place there. Because you can only go where there are proper roads, go to Australia, where those conditions are in place», he added.
The minister stated that the African country «is, in fact, very keen to get things done».
He called for a paradigm shift, noting that whilst there was a time when the «main speciality» of Angolan businesspeople was food imports, it is now time to «move on to the next phase».
He acknowledged that the agricultural sector involves risks and that investors want certainty, whilst emphasising openness to partnerships.
«We first invited Brazilian businesspeople (...) to come and tell us what is stopping you from coming. And a commission was set up, by ministerial decree, to study the matter. What we are saying is not a government initiative; it is the clear expression of the business community,» he said.
For her part, the former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Kátia Abreu, announced that the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) will be in Angola «very soon to support the country's producers».
Abreu emphasised that technical assistance – an area in which Brazil is a leading expert – is crucial for farmers to develop.
«In Brazil, we have an organisation that does this with urban businesses, called Sebrae» – the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service – said the Brazilian businesswoman.
In addition to the technology that Embrapa intends to develop in Angola, subsidised agricultural credit is essential, she noted, highlighting that even large sustainable producers in Brazil still receive subsidised agricultural credit.
She is convinced that Angola has everything it needs to welcome producers from Brazil, given the similarities in soil, vegetation and climate.
«What might or might not be an obstacle? It is precisely legal certainty (…), as farmers are very wary anywhere in the world, including in Angola. We are very concerned if we do not have a legal framework that gives us the assurance to come to the country, produce in peace, following the country's rules – but these rules must be very clear,» she said.
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