Angola’s Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, on Thursday inaugurated three major facilities at the Port of Luanda — a power substation, a 15-storey innovation and technology development building, and a coastal shipping terminal — as part of a broad modernisation programme at the country’s principal port.
Despite repeated questions from journalists, the minister declined to disclose the combined investment value for the three projects, dismissing the figures as ‘irrelevant’ and directing attention instead to the economic and operational benefits expected to flow from the new infrastructure.
“We are entering a new phase in which the growth of port activity is being accompanied by structural investments in energy, innovation and logistics integration, creating the conditions needed to meet the demands of a more dynamic, more diversified economy that is increasingly integrated into regional and international markets,” De Abreu said.
The newly inaugurated facilities, he added, “represent far more than the completion of construction works or the handover of new equipment — they represent the capacity to anticipate challenges, raise operational efficiency and prepare the country’s main port for a new generation of logistics services.”
Operational data underpin the minister’s assessment. Through September 2025, the Port of Luanda recorded a 23% increase in vessel traffic year-on-year, De Abreu told the inauguration ceremony.
The port also handled approximately 294,000 containers during the period and registered a 59% surge in vehicle movements. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, total cargo throughput exceeded one million tonnes, “confirming its central role in national supply chains and in the economic dynamics of our country,” the minister said.
De Abreu argued that the port continues to cement itself as one of the region’s leading logistics platforms, “simultaneously reinforcing its commitment to innovation, sustainability and the upskilling of its human resources.”
The indicators, he said, confirm the Port of Luanda as an infrastructure asset of growing strategic importance to Angola and the wider region, and “fully justify continued investment in its modernisation and expansion.”
“Economic growth demands responsive capacity, it demands resilient infrastructure, smarter systems and logistics solutions capable of keeping pace with the needs of businesses and citizens,” the minister stressed.
Addressing the specific attributes of each newly commissioned facility, De Abreu described the power substation as a strategic investment in the security and operational continuity of port activities, while the technology innovation building signals a commitment to building a “smarter, more digital” port.
The coastal shipping terminal, he said, adds a critical dimension to the future of national logistics. Given Angola’s vast territorial size and extensive coastline, cabotage — the transport of goods by sea between domestic ports — represents a key strategy for reducing freight costs across the country.
When pressed again by journalists on the cost of the three inaugurated structures, De Abreu reiterated his position, characterising the figures as “irrelevant” and choosing instead to emphasise the anticipated impact and returns for the Angolan population and economy.
“What is relevant are the gains. We must understand that logistics costs — not only in Angola but across the rest of the African continent — are four to five times higher than those recorded elsewhere. Talking about the big numbers is not important; what matters is what the objectives are and where this will generate impact for our population and our economy,” he told reporters.
The Port of Luanda’s management also declined to provide the aggregate investment figure for the projects.
Source: Notícias ao Minuto
