Luanda, June 26, 2024 (Lusa) - Angolan state oil company Sonangol will include the mining and production of quartz in its investment priorities, the minister of mineral resources, oil and gas, Diamantino Azevedo, has announced.

According to the Jornal de Angola, a state-controlled newspaper, the announcement was made on Tuesday at a meeting with executives from companies in the sector on the subject of 'Objectives, Goals, Actions and Main Projects in the Sector Defined in the National Development Plan (PDN 2023-2027)'.

The minister is reported to have said that he had received a series of requests from foreign companies interested in mining quartz, a mineral that is used in the manufacture of solar panels for photovoltaic energy production.

He also said that the existence of commercial quartz reserves "is a guarantee for the country to increase its sources of revenue" - diversification away from oil being one of hte govenrment's stated priorties - but argued that the new paradigm for the economy "should focus on the transformation of raw materials and the export of refined products in order to boost employment and maximise profits."

RCR/ARO // ARO.

Lusa