Angola must begin to envision its future without oil at the center of its economy, promoting the tourism industry to accelerate diversification. In Cabinda, the Minister of Tourism, Márcio de Jesus Daniel, sent a clear and firm signal that Angola is committed to making tourism the country’s “green oil,” driving the diversification of the national economy.
Tourism Minister Márcio de Jesus Daniel said in Cabinda that Angola has been making significant progress both nationally and internationally, developing concrete and secure actions that will soon help the country become a leading tourist destination in Africa and around the world.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Cabinda School of Hospitality and Tourism, located in the Chiázi area, Daniel emphasized that for Angola to assert itself and claim its place in tourism, four national strategies for the sector were approved on July 30, 2025, during a Council of Ministers session. These strategies are aligned with the National Development Plan and the National Tourism Promotion Plan.
According to the minister, the objective of this strategy is to organize, energize, and operationalize the functioning of the tourism sector in Angola, through initiatives such as: Planifica Turismo (National Tourism Planning Plan), National Tourism Zoning Plan, Reclassifica Turismo (National Plan for the Reclassification of Tourism Enterprises), Capacita Turismo (National Training Plan for Tourism Professionals), and Comunica Turismo (National Tourism Communication Plan).
As a result, Daniel noted, Presidential Decree No. 187/25 of October 13 was published, approving measures for training and capacity building in the tourism sector, thereby reinforcing the government’s commitment to professional qualification and the continuous improvement of service quality across the country.
The minister also announced that on October 2, Angola officially launched the “Visit Angola” brand, which will guide all tourism promotional campaigns both domestically and internationally. The initiative aims to showcase Angola’s rich cultural and natural heritage to attract more visitors and investors, contributing to economic diversification and job creation for Angolan youth.
According to Daniel, the “Capacita Turismo” program consists of three key pillars: professional training provided in public and private technical schools in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism; capacity building for key public and private stakeholders in the hospitality chain; and the training of mobile teaching brigades.
“The inauguration of the Chiázi school is part of the implementation of this national strategic plan, which essentially aims to train and empower Angolan professionals to improve service quality in tourism establishments, restaurants, and across the entire hospitality chain — consolidating tourism and the art of hospitality in Angola,” he stated.
School of Hospitality and Tourism
Since last Saturday, the province of Cabinda has a new School of Hospitality and Tourism, a strategic facility designed to train professionals in the tourism and hotel services sectors.
The school can accommodate about 240 students, divided into two shifts. It offers seven courses accredited by INEFOP (National Institute of Employment and Vocational Training) and certified by the Tourism School of Portugal, which provided technical support for the curriculum design as part of the partnership between the two countries.
The school will train students every six months in areas such as pastry arts, table and bar service, housekeeping, culinary arts, front desk, IT, decoration, English, French, dietetics, and food safety and hygiene. The infrastructure includes a kitchen, pastry lab, cafeteria, storage area, restaurant-bar, computer rooms, lecture halls, a housekeeping practice room, and administrative offices — providing modern and specialized training facilities.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Tourism Minister Márcio de Jesus Daniel, and attended by Cabinda Governor Suzana Abreu, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, Pedro Machado, and President of Turismo de Portugal, Carlos Abado.
Minister Daniel highlighted that the facility represents an important step in Angola’s economic diversification strategy, emphasizing that qualified training will help raise service standards and strengthen the country’s tourism appeal.
Governor Suzana Abreu underscored the importance of the school for local development, as it will strengthen the technical capacity of hotel units and contribute to a more competitive tourism offering in the province.
Training Cooperation
During the ceremony, Pedro Machado, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, praised the long-standing cultural and historical ties between Angola and Portugal, reaffirming the commitment made through the protocol that enabled the creation of Angola’s first hospitality and tourism school.
“Cabinda now hosts the first hospitality school in Angola, made possible through the sponsorship and full commitment of Turismo de Portugal and the Government of Portugal. It’s important for the young people trained here to understand that this project became a reality thanks to the efforts of many stakeholders,” he said.
According to Machado, the tourism industry currently represents one of Portugal’s largest sources of wealth creation.
“Tourism is an industry of people, for people — driving cultural, economic, and social development. It offers opportunities for those who find in tourism an alternative path to create new jobs or start their own businesses,” he noted.
Machado emphasized that both the Government of Angola and Turismo de Portugal should continue to strengthen ties in the areas of training and professional development.
“We believe that talent is one of the greatest resources a society can have. Through Portugal’s contribution — recognized nationally and internationally as one of the best examples of excellence in tourism — we aim to share best practices from one of the most competitive tourism markets in the world,” he stated.
He also pointed out that Portugal is currently the 12th most competitive country in the world in tourism, having generated over €30 billion in tourism revenue in 2024 and welcomed more than 30 million guests that year.
“The tourism industry is highly promising and enables diverse investment opportunities. There are growing conditions for Portuguese investors to look toward Angola, and likewise for Angolan investors to explore Portugal — reinforcing the ties, values, and mutual trust between our two nations,” Machado concluded.
Source: O País
