The Embassy of the Republic Angola in Japan in close cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Angola held in Luanda from March 9 to 11, 2015 the second Angola-Japan Business Forum. This event came as a follow up to the Angola-Japan Business Forum held in Tokyo in September 4, 2013.
The forum featured presentations by top Angolan government officials including the Minister of Economy, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Transports, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Energy and Water, Minister of Industry, Minister of Geology and Mines, State Secretary for External Relations, State Secretary for Cooperation and the CEO of the National Private Investment Agency.
Minister of Oil and H.E. Abrahão Pio dos Santos Gourgel, Minister of Economy.
The event aimed at 1) providing an opportunity for Japanese companies to see for themselves the huge business opportunities that Angola offers in several sectors; 2) Providing an opportunity for Japanese companies to network with top officials from the Angolan government and 3) Creating an opportunity for greater interaction between business, financial institutions and investment promotion agencies of the two countries.
The business forum attracted more than 300 participants from the public and private sectors. The Japanese delegation which was headed by Ambassador Norio Maruyama, the Director-General of the African Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, included 124 businessmen and officials representing JBIC, JICA, JETRO, NEXI, Keidanren as well as 34 companies.
The first day of the event consisted mainly of presentations about business opportunities in Angola and the second and third days were reserved for bilateral meetings between Angolan Ministers as well as CEOs of public companies and Japanese businessmen. Such meetings provided excellent opportunities for Japanese businessmen to directly present to top government officials the know-how of their respective companies which can play an important role in the Angola National Development Plan (PND) as well as in the diversification of its economy.
Overall, the Angola-Japan Business Forum was a great success as it turned a new page in the Angola-Japan bilateral ties. The Embassy of the Republic Angola in Japan, for its part, will continue to work with all the stakeholders, both in Angola and Japan, so that measurable results from the forum can be witnessed in the near future.