Can you give an overview of AECIPA?

AECIPA has been advocating for Angola’s oil and gas service providers for over 10 years and strives to promote the role and importance of the country’s services sector. The association has approximately 200 members and serves as a platform to connect and discuss common issues pertaining to the industry, and for networking, workshops, and meetings over different pertinent issues. 

AECIPA is also one of the biggest advocates for the development and implementation of local content, by promoting employment, training and professional development of young Angolans, technology advancement and the search for financial funding opportunities for the whole sector.  The oil and gas service sector is one of the largest employers in Angola, employing approximately 13,000 Angolans. 
       
What are the main challenges Angolan service providers are facing in 2024?

The nature of this sector, particularly as far as its financial and technology requirements, brings a challenge in itself.  Doing business in Angola requires a great deal of imported goods and equipment, which challenges both the companies and the central bank to make foreign currency available.  Angola’s main income of foreign currency is from the oil and gas industry. As such, a balance needs to be achieved by the government to create an environment where the country's financial needs are met. The foreign currency issues have made it difficult to make payments overseas in a timely manner. 

However, when these issues arise, they are promptly dealt with by the rightful institutions, such as the commercial banks, with whom AECIPA has been working more and more closely.  

AECIPA is also working closely with the major stakeholders - the Ministry, the Concessionaire and the tax authorities - to create awareness, mitigate financial challenges, and encourage the necessary regulatory agents to promote a more amenable business environment. 

Can you comment on AECIPA’s objective to support Namibia in its oil and gas development? 

In 2023, AECIPA signed an agreement with the Namibian Association for Offshore Oil and Gas Service Providers (NAOGSP) intending to promote and facilitate bilateral collaboration between Angolan and Namibian service companies, fostering productive relationships within the oil and gas sector, and encouraging knowledge exchange. AECIPA and NAOGSP are establishing channels for sharing industry information such as best practices, technical advancements, regulatory updates, and local content development and implementation strategies so that this developing industry can bypass some of the mistakes we made during our development. If we have a stronger Namibia, we have a stronger African oil and gas industry which will benefit all of us. 

Can you share some recent developments at Tradinter?  

Tradinter was founded in 2001 and is a well-established service provider to Angola’s oil and gas industry. Our experienced team has a strong understanding of the Angolan oil and gas business and its regulatory framework, which enables Tradinter to provide high-quality, technically sound, and commercially astute advice and services. We provide services in the areas of drone inspections, logistics and freight forwarding, industrial cleaning and business consulting.