Everything points to the process starting in early 2026, a sign that it has never been closer. The battle to give a “birth certificate” to products made in Angola has been ongoing for over 11 years. The only step remaining before issuing the first barcode is Angola’s integration into Global Standard 1.
The Angolan barcode prefix was already assigned in the second half of 2024 by GS1 (Global Standard 1), the international organization responsible for standardizing product identification worldwide. According to Expansão, Angola’s prefix is 606, indicating that the product is manufactured or packaged in the country. This will allow Angolan companies to stop depending on South Africa and Portugal, currently two of the main markets used to register “Made in Angola” products.
Generally, a GS1-standard barcode consists of thirteen digits. The first three digits indicate the product’s country of origin, and the remaining ones provide information about the company, manufacturer, and the specific coded product—essentially forming the product’s “ID card.”
In Angola’s case, the origin prefix is 606, while the other digits identify the company or manufacturer and the product itself—just as products from Portugal use prefix 560 and those from South Africa 600–601.
With the assignment of this origin prefix, Angola is closer to implementing its national barcode. The country was formally introduced to over 100 GS1 members during the general assembly held from May 19 to 23 in India. This came one year after Angola was approved as an official member of the nonprofit organization headquartered in Brussels.
At this point, the effective launch of Angola’s barcode system depends solely on administrative procedures—specifically, the formal registration of GS1 Angola (the entity that will manage product coding in the country) with the Ministry of Justice. This is a standard step in registering non-governmental organizations and is expected to be completed this month.
“After this registration, the association will be nearly ready to start operating in the market. The next step is the integration process, known as onboarding,” explained Farid Bouhamara, president of GS1 Angola. Practically speaking, onboarding in the GS1 context refers to the process of integrating a new member into the organization, familiarizing them with the working environment, including training cycles and guidance, so the Angolan entity can effectively use GS1 tools.
This process typically takes 6 to 7 months to complete and is the final stage before launching the “Made in Angola” barcode—a process that has taken over 11 years and passed through many hands.
“There is no certainty that the implementation will be completed this year, but we will make every effort to make it happen,” said Bouhamara, who is also the CEO of National Distillers, one of the 11 members of the commission overseeing the barcode implementation process in Angola.
This shows that the process depends on integration and the simultaneous creation of the necessary barcode management infrastructure, which will take place during the onboarding phase. This means the first barcode could be issued in the first few months of next year.
Setting Up Infrastructure
To issue barcodes, it will be necessary to build technological infrastructure, including a code management system and specific software to generate the codes.
Investments for this are already being made by GS1 Angola’s founding members, namely So Vinhos, Angonabeiro, Refriango, Carrinho Empreendimentos, Candy Factory, as well as Novagrolíder, Biagio Indústria, GMedical, Huilux, and Plastcon, who are joining National Distillers.
“There are no subsidies or state support here. The founding members will invest to create infrastructure that will allow, on one hand, housing for staff and code generation, and on the other, provide a platform where each member will later have access with their own credentials,” said the GS1 Angola president.
Source: Expansão
