Luanda, Oct. 28, 2025 (Lusa) - The Angolan president said on Tuesday that the country has the capacity to generate enough electricity to meet domestic needs and expressed willingness to share the surplus with neighbouring countries, provided that interested investors come forward.
Speaking at the opening of the 3rd Summit on Infrastructure Financing in Africa, which runs until Friday in Luanda, João Lourenço, current Chair of the African Union, reaffirmed Angola’s commitment to working with all member states, financial institutions and international partners.
He stressed that infrastructure development is essential to create jobs, promote trade and improve the living conditions of the population, hoping that the summit will “facilitate high-level dialogue and achieve concrete results in project financing.”
The Head of State recalled that Angola will celebrate 50 years of independence on November 11, highlighting the development of major infrastructure such as the new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport, the construction of airports in provincial capitals, the expansion of the main national ports and the new deep-water port of Caio in Cabinda.
João Lourenço said that the electricity generated in Angola has the capacity to meet the country’s needs, to which the Caculo Cabaça hydroelectric dam will add 2,172 megawatts (MW), and pointed out that there is “enormous untapped energy potential” if new dams are built, including the transnational Baynes project, shared with Namibia.
"Together, these potential sources of hydroelectric power could generate an additional 8,000 MW, which could enable the country to produce 14,845 MW over the next two decades," he said, warning, however, that investment in the transmission and distribution network is needed to ensure that energy reaches the entire country.
In this context, there are plans to connect Cabinda to the national energy grid from Soyo via an undersea cable.
“It is our intention to share part of the energy we produce with neighbouring countries in the SADC [Southern African Development Community] and Central Africa, provided that investors are interested in building the energy transmission lines, under a public-private partnership scheme,” stressed the Angolan president, who also pointed to the development of water and telecommunications infrastructure.
In this field, he said, Angola is investing in another Earth observation satellite and expanding the national fibre optic network throughout the country.
João Lourenço also referred to the need to find “the best infrastructure financing solutions, not only to serve each country individually, but above all so that they can share these infrastructures within the framework of regional and continental integration”.
Among these, he highlighted the importance of the Lobito Corridor, “for Angola, for the SADC region and for the global economy, by shortening maritime transport times between Asia, Africa, Europe and America, and consequently lowering the costs of goods and export products”.
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