Angola faces a race against the clock to complete its privatisation programme, with nine state assets still to be divested before the end of the year — a pace of nearly two sales per month — as uncertainty mounts over whether the ProPriv initiative, launched in 2019, can be wrapped up on schedule.
The process received a boost with the launch of a 15% initial public offering (IPO) in mobile operator Unitel, but the pipeline of remaining assets is formidable. Standard Bank Angola and diamond miner Endiama are tipped to be the most market-moving transactions in what is set to be the programme’s final year. The other entities still awaiting privatisation include national carrier TAAG, Angola Telecom, Banco Comercial Angolano (BCA), Nova Cimangola, the ZEE special economic zone, Grupo Medianova and broadcaster TV Zimbo.
Of those, Standard Bank Angola is considered the most advanced, with specialists regarding its sale as likely to proceed within 2025. The outlook for the remaining companies is considerably less certain. Industry experts warn that several of the entities on the list continue to face structural and operational problems that are unlikely to be resolved in time to allow a clean divestiture before the December deadline.
The government, however, is projecting confidence. “These are the assets that the Inter-Ministerial Commission for the Privatisation Programme will focus on to ensure that, within 2026, these processes can be concluded, thereby completing the Privatisation Programme,” Secretary of State for Finance and Treasury Ottoniel dos Santos said at the close of the National Inter-Ministerial Commission for the Privatisation Programme meeting held in February — the body’s most recent session to date.
Source: Expansão / Original article: http://expansao.co.ao/empresas/detalhe/conclusao-do-programa-obriga-a-venda-de-quase-dois-activos-por-mes-ate-ao-final-do-ano-73471.html
