Around 300,000 traders from West African countries are in a vulnerable situation in Angola and subject to all kinds of exploitation. The association representing them is appealing to the Angolan authorities for support to legalize their status.
In Angola, these traders run small businesses, including the popular convenience stores locally known as “cantinas dos Mamadus,” a reference to their Muslim faith. These stores sell various everyday essential goods, from food to hygiene and cleaning products, at low prices.
Tounkara Mohamed Saidou, from Guinea-Conakry, is one of them and explained to Lusa how the informality of these businesses and the lack of regulation increase the community’s vulnerability and make it difficult for them to integrate into Angola’s formal economic fabric.
He has lived in Angola since 2005 and is currently the president of the Association of West African Traders, which brings together representatives from 15 countries, as well as the Association for the Development of Young Angolans and Foreigners.
According to Tounkara Saidou, since 2007 the association has gathered professionals in carpentry, locksmithing, and cooking to provide free training to young nationals and foreigners, aiming to “help the Angolan government combat delinquency and unemployment.”
Illegal migration status is the community’s main concern, he said, emphasizing that some people have been in Angola for over 15 or 20 years without managing to legalize their situation, as in his own case.
“These are people who have not committed crimes, they are here working, have started families, most arrived with a visa,” he stressed, explaining that many became undocumented due to difficulties in legalizing, others due to not knowing how to proceed, and many suffered extortion.
Given this situation, simple acts such as opening a bank account or buying a SIM card for mobile communication are difficult due to lack of documentation, forcing many to keep money at home—exposed to theft—or rely on an Angolan citizen to buy the phone chip.
To overcome this, the association proposes a national general registration, expecting to register more than 300,000 West African citizens involved in commerce.
According to the leader, illegality brings many dangers to people living without documents and without authorities’ knowledge, affecting basic rights such as education, leaving children out of the school system.
“My daughter is 12, my sister is 14, and they have never attended a public school. The solution is to hire someone, a teacher, who comes three times a week to teach at home, but that is not what we want, it cannot continue like this,” he said.
Besides legalization, the association argues these citizens—mostly traders—can contribute to Angola’s economic growth by paying taxes.
“In January, we started registrations and managed to obtain over 140 Tax Identification Numbers (NIF) for traders, and some have already started voluntarily paying taxes,” he said, emphasizing that “the main focus is to control all traders, collect taxes, and raise awareness to avoid breaking the country’s laws.”
However, lack of material support has slowed down the registration process, said Tounkara Saidou, who owns a small cantina in the municipality of Viana, noting that in Luanda alone, the registration of 100,000 “cantineiros” is planned.
“This project is very important because—imagine—if each of them can pay 20,000 or 40,000 kwanzas (18.8 or 37.7 euros) monthly in taxes, multiplied by 300,000 traders, that can really support our economy,” he emphasized.
He underlined that although small, these businesses create jobs and help pay rent for their homes and shops.
“One ‘mamadu’ alone gives jobs to four young people, pays the rent where he sleeps, pays electricity, water, and has workers in the cantina,” he said, reiterating the need to be legalized to invest more and promote more jobs.
Source: Lusa
