Angola has signed a one-million-dollar agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to develop a Civil Aviation Master Plan, as the country hosted the 3rd ICAO Global Aviation Gender Summit in Luanda — an event that also served as a platform to highlight Angola’s rapid rise in aviation safety standards, with an effective implementation score of 83.14% in ICAO’s most recent audit.
Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas de Abreu used his opening address at the summit to argue that investing in attracting, training and developing talent is fundamental to building more efficient transport systems, driving economic competitiveness and strengthening institutional credibility.
The minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 3rd ICAO Global Aviation Gender Summit 2026, held at the Talatona Convention Hotel in Luanda and running until 23 July under the theme ‘Advancing Aviation Through the Empowerment of Women’. The event is organised by ICAO in partnership with Angola’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), UN Women and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and follows previous editions held in 2018 and 2023.
In his address, Ricardo Viegas de Abreu described equal opportunity as a strategic factor for the sustainable growth of civil aviation, arguing that countries best able to attract, train and develop talent will be better positioned to build efficient transport systems, competitive economies and credible institutions.
Angola positions itself as an African benchmark in civil aviation. The minister underscored that the country is entering a new phase of civil aviation development, underpinned by high safety standards, institutional modernisation and investment in human capital — a trajectory that has allowed it to establish itself as a continental reference point.
As evidence of that progress, Ricardo Viegas de Abreu cited the results of ICAO’s 2025 audit, in which Angola achieved an Effective Implementation rate of 83.14% — a significant leap from the 46.85% recorded in 2017, and a result that exceeds both the African regional average of 66.7% and the global average of 72.01%. The performance places Angola fourth among states in ICAO’s African Region.
‘Today we stand before this international community with a profoundly different reality. This recognition is not a finishing line, but an incentive to continue raising our performance standards,’ the minister said.
According to Ricardo Viegas de Abreu, these results reflect a strengthened state regulatory capacity, improved operational safety, modernised sector institutions and sustained investment in professional training.
The minister also argued that hosting the summit in Luanda represents international recognition of Angola’s civil aviation progress, and marks the beginning of a new phase of cooperation between Angola and ICAO.
On the sidelines of the event, ANAC and ICAO signed an agreement for the preparation of Angola’s Civil Aviation Master Plan, a project valued at one million dollars, as well as for the implementation of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals strategy, aimed at training a new generation of sector professionals.
The summit brings together global aviation leaders. The opening ceremony also featured addresses by President João Lourenço, ANAC President Amélia Domingues Kuvíngua and ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos Salazar.
Over three days, the summit convenes representatives from governments, regulatory authorities, airline operators, international organisations and academic institutions to debate policies promoting gender equality and the sustainable development of aviation worldwide.
The discussions are aligned with ICAO’s Strategic Plan 2026–2050 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Source: Mercado / Original article: https://mercado.co.ao/investimento-na-formacao-de-talentos-e-essencial-para-eficiencia-dos-transportes-defende-ministro-na-cimeira-global-da-icao/
