Angolan - German realations: Building lasting bonds for the future

[Matthias Offodile]

Germany, a high tech nation and the leading economic powerhouse in Europe can be a good partner for booming & thriving Angola. Finally, Germans do seem to have realized that there is world beyond South Africa (nothing against SA) when it comes to Africa....hopefully, it is not too late to build lasting and strong ties which will be beneficial for both sides.


This week German chancellor Angela Merkel is touring Angola.

This thread will feature news and cooperation between the two countries!

[Matthias Offodile]

Angela Merkel está em Angola

Chanceler alemã à chegada a Luanda foi recebida pelo ministro das Relações Exteriores

Fotografia: Kindala Manuel

O Presidente da República e a chanceler alemã Angela Merkel reúnem-se hoje, no Palácio da Cidade Alta, naquele que se espera vir a ser o momento mais alto da visita oficial da chefe do governo alemão a Angola, no âmbito do périplo africano que já a levou a Nairobi, capital do Quénia, e que termina em Abuja, principal centro económico da Nigéria.
Angela Merkel, que desembarcou ontem à noite na capital angolana, teve a recebê-la no Aeroporto Internacional 4 de Fevereiro o ministro das Relações Exteriores. Georges Chikoti disse a jornalistas que a visita de Merkel é reflexo da credibilidade de Angola na região e no concerto das nações.
Hoje, antes do encontro com o Chefe do Executivo angolano, a chanceler alemã tem um pequeno-almoço de trabalho com empresários alemães, numa das unidades hoteleiras de Luanda. Em seguida, participa na cerimónia de abertura do Fórum Empresarial Angola/Alemanha, onde vai proferir um discurso, logo após a intervenção do Vice-Presidente da República, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos.
Participam no encontro, além de empresários angolanos e alemães, o ministro da Economia, Abraão Gourgel, e o presidente da ANIP, Aguinaldo Jaime, que vão falar das oportunidades de investimento e das facilidades que oferece a nova lei de investimento privado.
No palácio presidencial, Angela Merkel e José Eduardo dos Santos vão presenciar a assinatura de acordos em vários domínios. Após a assinatura dos acordos, o Presidente angolano e a chanceler alemã fazem declarações à imprensa, no jardim do Palácio Presidencial, ao que se seguirá um almoço oficial, no Salão Nobre, oferecido por José Eduardo dos Santos à visitante e sua delegação. A jornada de Angela Merkel em Angola inclui ainda uma visita ao Museu Central das Forças Armadas, onde será recebida pelo governador de Luanda, que fará a apresentação do plano de desenvolvimento da cidade de Luanda.

[Matthias Offodile]

[Matthias Offodile]

Zweite Afrika-Station
Merkel eröffnet Konferenz in Angola

Eingetroffen in Angola: Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel wird von Angolas Außenminister George Chikoty begrüßt
DPA

Eingetroffen in Angola: Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel wird von Angolas Außenminister George Chikoty begrüßt

Aufbruch in Angola: Bisher macht China in Afrika die Wirtschaftsschlagzeilen, doch am Mittag wird Kanzlerin Angela Merkel in Angolas Hauptstadt eine Wirtschaftskonferenz eröffnen. Der Termin soll Symbolkraft haben für die künftige Bedeutung Afrikas für deutsche Unternehmen.

Luanda - Es ist kein Zufall, dass Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) mit einer ganzen Wirtschaftsdelegation heute in Angola gelandet ist. Das Land ist reich an Ölvorkommen, das Wirtschaftswachstum märchenhaft hoch. Wachstumsraten von 20 Prozent sind derzeit drin, allerdings von - aus deutscher Sicht - sehr niedrigem Niveau aus. Und es ist auch kein Zufall, dass Merkel auf der zweiten Station ihrer Afrikareise am Mittwoch Mittag in der angolanischen Hauptstadt Luanda eine Wirtschaftskonferenz eröffnet. Denn die deutsche Wirtschaft soll mit Afrika wachsen - auf jenem Kontinent also, der als letzter ein unverteilter in den internationalen Wirtschaftsbeziehungen ist.

Begleitet wird die Kanzlerin in Angola dann auch heute von einer elfköpfigen prominenten Wirtschaftsdelegation, angeführt von Lufthansa-Chef Christoph Franz, und dem wohl bald neuen starke Mann der Deutschen Bank, Jürgen Fitschen. Die Mitreise der Wirtschaftsleute ist als Botschaft gedacht und wird auch so verstanden.

"Die deutsche Wirtschaft hinkt in Afrika hinterher, obwohl Afrika unser Nachbarkontinent ist und im vergangenen Jahrzehnt einen enormen wirtschaftlichen Wandel verzeichnet hat", beklagt Hans Meier-Ewert ist Geschäftsführender Vorstand des Afrika-Vereins der deutschen Wirtschaft gegenüber der "Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung". Speziell mittelständischen Unternehmen falle es trotz weltweiter Exporterfolge noch immer schwer, veraltete Klischees über Afrikas abzulegen.

Angola gehört nach Südafrika zu den dynamischsten Volkswirtschaften Afrikas, Ghana ist die derzeit am schnellsten nach vorne drängende. Beide Länder haben viel Öl, zu dem die Kanzlerin Zugang sucht. Im Gegenzug sollen deutsche Firmen am Ausbau der Infrastruktur beteiligt werden. Außerdem ist das südwestafrikanische Land Angola reich an Mineralien.

Viele deutsche Unternehmen scheuen sich wegen instabiler Verhältnisse, Korruption und fehlender Rechtsverbindlichkeit vor Investitionen in Afrika. Deutschland ging es lange Zeit in erster Linie um Entwicklungshilfe, Sicherheit und Menschenrechte. Bei afrikanischen Staaten hat das einen lehrmeisterlichen Eindruck hinterlassen. Geschäfte mit China werden unkompliziert gemacht, ließ etwa Kenias Premierminister Raila Odinga die deutsche Kanzlerin gestern spüren.

In Angolas Hauptstadt Luanda standen am Mittwoch Gespräche mit Staatspräsident José Eduardo dos Santos sowie dem Chef der Oppositionspartei UNITA, Isaias Samakuva, auf dem Programm. 2009 war dos Santos in Berlin und forderte deutsche Unternehmen zu Investitionen in seinem Land auf.

Deutschlands Regierungschefin erwidert einen Besuch des Staatspräsidenten dos Santos vom Februar 2009 in Berlin.

kst/rtr/dpa

http://www.manager-magazin.de/politi...774168,00.html

[Matthias Offodile]

Angela Merkel opens German - Angolan Business forum in Luanda

13-07-2011 11:44

Angola-Alemanha
Angela Merkel considera o seu país parceiro justo e viável


Angela Merkel na abertura do Fórum Económico Angolano-Alemão

Luanda – A Alemanha é uma parceira económica justa e viável, interessada não apenas em benefícios para si, mas que se preocupa também com o desenvolvimento de Angola, defendendo vantagens mútuas, considerou hoje, quarta-feira, em Luanda, a chanceler daquele país europeu, Angela Merkel.


Falando no discurso de abertura do Fórum Económico Angolano-Alemão, que está a acontecer num dos hotéis da capital angolana, a chanceler disse saber que existe ainda um grande desafio para Angola em relação ao desenvolvimento, educação e formação profissional e construção de infra-estruturas, em que o seu país está disposto a ajudar.


Advogou que Angola deve ser de mais fácil alcance para os alemães e que caso o seu governo pudesse as ligações aéreas entre os dois estados poderiam ser diárias.


“Os chefes da Lufthansa estão presentes na nossa delegação económica e se nós pudéssemos, haviamos de enviar uma aeronave por dia a Luanda e não apenas duas vezes por semana, para podermos proporcionar maior aproximação entre os nossos estados e dar a possibilidade a vários alemães conhecerem o vosso país e vice-versa”, enfatizou.

Na mesma senda, disse que a Alemanha tem muita experiência em termos de energias renováveis, em que pode prestar apoios para que os angolanos apostem não apenas no gás e no petróleo, mas para que utilizem também as tecnologias verdes e renováveis.


“Temos boas infra-estruturas e empresas que podem ajudar Angola nesse domínio”, reaçou.


Segundo Angela Merkel, o seu país está também interessado em continuar a desenvolver as modernas tecnologias em Angola, as fibras-ópticas, banda larga, e gostaríamos de equipar as escolas e auxiliá-las também nos esforços de defesa do meio ambiente, sobretudo no sector marinho.


“Tudo são projectos concretos em prol dos quais nós lutamos e que gostaríamos de tratar durante a nossa permanência aqui. Angola e os angolanos só terão bem-estar se houver uma conjugação de progresso económico e justiça social”, concluiu.


A intervenção de Angela Merkel foi antecedida pela do vice-presidente angolano, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos.


A chanceler alemã está em Angola desde terça-feira, a convite do Executivo angolano, para uma visita de trabalho de 48 horas, visando o incremento da cooperação bilateral.

http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/p...e8850ba2f.html


Lufthansa also aims to fly Frankfurt Luanda route daily!!!

[Mwatangua]

Matt can u get some info on the Sky catering company launched by Taag and Lufthansa i think and put it on the projects

[Matthias Offodile]

Originally Posted by Mwatangua

Matt can u get some info on the Sky catering company launched by Taag and Lufthansa i think and put it on the projects

I couldn´t find any news on it but I will kepp my eyes open.

[skytrax]

I already posted on the aviation thread.

[Kizaca]

Germany is a great country and I hope German investors erase some not so good preconceived ideas about Angola and come to do business with us. I hope the deal to buy 6 or 8 frigates from Lurssenn goes ahead...

[Matthias Offodile]

Originally Posted by skytrax

Lançada pedra para construção de empresa de catering aéreo



Angop

Courtesy of Skytrax

[Matthias Offodile]

Originally Posted by Kizaca

Germany is a great country and I hope German investors erase some not so good preconceived ideas about Angola and come to do business with us. I hope the deal to buy 6 or 8 frigates from Lurssenn goes ahead...

Germans are always very hesitant and too careful...that´s annoying!

Bear in mind that big German companies were present in Angola before the war

German companies have also been very active in Brazil...in the past twenty years however, they only focussed on rebuilding Eastern Germany investing Eastern Europe and Asia and the Arabian Gulf (to a certain degree)....only exception in Africa is South Africa....High time that Angola comes onboard as well....or let´s say again.

For example, I want to see BMW cars produced in Angola or VW cars...big industrial projects which will create mass employment through big Angolan-German joint ventures. This would be nice! Hopefully, this will happen.

[Kizaca]

Originally Posted by Matthias Offodile

Germans are always very hesitant and too careful...that´s annoying!

Bear in mind that big German companies were present in Angola before the war

German companies have also been very active in Brazil...in the past twenty years however, they only focussed on rebuilding Eastern Germany investing Eastern Europe and Asia and the Arabian Gulf (to a certain degree)....only exception in Africa is South Africa....High time that Angola comes onboard as well....or let´s say again.

For example, I want to see BMW cars produced in Angola or VW cars...big industrial projects which will create mass employment through big Angolan-German joint ventures. This would be nice! Hopefully, this will happen.

BMW, Mercedes, VW should really consider this. Angola is probably one of the country in Africa that buys a lot of German cars. I think it is also up to Angolan goverment to craft a good package that can attract more German capital and Know-how. We could start by launching a huge marketing campaign in Germany to re-brand Angola. I am afraid we are doing too little on this aspect.

[Matthias Offodile]

Originally Posted by Kizaca

BMW, Mercedes, VW should really consider this. Angola is probably one of the country in Africa that buys a lot of German cars. I think it is also up to Angolan goverment to craft a good package that can attract more German capital and Know-how. We could start by launching a huge marketing campaign in Germany to re-brand Angola. I am afraid we are doing too little on this aspect.

marketing and branding is of utmost importance...it applies to your personal life to cities & regions and to entire countries.

unfortunately, Africa (except South Africa) is a super lame & handcapped duck when it come to marketing ...something that annoys me quite often.

I am not terribly fond of the US but there is one thing that I admire them for...they managed to market themselves like no other nation on earth ..they are simply the masters of advertising and marketing in all its startling diversity....the image gain & cash return have been tremendous for them.

Angola really needs a well-crafted rebranding for a couple of years....but I am sure that it will happen as more and more top-educated Angolans return home and the country continues to develop...quite a number of new professional local ad and marketing agencies have poppped up in recent times.

Can I ask you what you have studied or what you plan to study? if that is too personal you can send me a mail on my PM....if you want to.

[Matthias Offodile]

Commerzbank also now in Angola


Commerzbank Tower

07 Feb 2012 14:51:43 GMT | By Agence France-Presse

Commerzbank opens office in Angola


German bank Commerzbank said Tuesday it has opened a representative office in the Angolan capital of Luanda as part of its strategy to tap into growth opportunities in Africa.


"We continue to see great growth opportunities in Africa and are eager to take advantage of them at an early stage," Commerzbank said in a statement, explaining it has been granted a licence by the National Bank of Angola to open the office in Luanda.

"The main task of the representative office is to cultivate close contacts with the local government offices and business circles and to advise companies active in Angola, particularly businesses from Germany," the statement said.

Commerzbank already has offices in Addis Ababa, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo and Tripoli and with a sixth office it would confirm its position as the leading German bank in Africa, it said.

The Angola office would also act as point of contact for for local banks as well as for German and international companies in bordering countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

http://news.ph.msn.com/business/arti...mentid=5853912

[Nidia]

[Matthias Offodile]

Empresa tem capacidade para servir mercado local
21 de Março, 2012

O director-geral da empresa de Catering LSG Sky Chefs TAAG Angola, Fábio Vieira, afirmou em Luanda que a instituição tem capacidade para servir o mercado aéreo nacional. Fábio Vieira revelou que, “inicialmente, a prioridade é atender apenas as solicitações da TAAG e da Lufthansa, mas, quando entrarmos em pleno funcionamento, temos capacidade para servir qualquer companhia aérea que solicite os nossos serviços”.
O director considera que a LSG Sky Chefs TAAG Angola está preparada para oferecer um serviço de qualidade e em quantidade necessária para abastecer todas as transportadoras aéreas que operem em Angola. Apesar do projecto estar ainda em fase de apetrechamento, decorre já a formação dos futuros quadros da fábrica que vai contar com 300 trabalhadores, os responsáveis pela confecção de mais de oito mil refeições por dia.
“Estamos a instalar agora parte do equipamento que já se encontra no país e esperamos pela outra parte, que deve chegar nos próximos dias à Luanda, proveniente da Alemanha, onde está a ser fabricado”, afirmou. O lançamento da primeira pedra para a construção da empresa ocorreu em Julho de 2011, durante a visita oficial a Angola da chanceler alemã, Ângela Merkel.
O empreendimento é fruto de uma parceria entre a empresa alemã LSG Sky Chefs (Lufthansa), detentora de 40 por cento do capital, da TAAG com 35 por cento, da Angola Catering com 20 por cento e da Empresa Nacional de Exploração de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea (ENANA) com 5,0 por cento.

http://jornaldeangola.sapo.ao/15/0/e..._mercado_local

[Matthias Offodile]

SAP Will Open Office in Angola to Bolster Expansion in Africa

By Sikonathi Mantshantsha - Mar 14, 2012 3:58 PM GMT+0100



SAP AG (SAP), the biggest maker of enterprise-management software, will open an office in Angola this year as it expands its network in Africa, where it plans to double sales of its small-business offering.

In Angola, Africa’s second-largest producer of crude oil, SAP is already a supplier for state-owned oil producer Sonangol EP, Franck Cohen, head of SAP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said in an interview today in Johannesburg.

“We will use Sonangol to anchor our business in the country,” Cohen said. “Angola is a fantastic market for us, with a lot of growth.”

Angola’s government forecasts economic growth of 12.8 percent this year after 3.4 percent in 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund. SAP, whose biggest rival is Oracle Corp. (ORCL), has been expanding in the regional hubs of Kenya in the east of the continent, Nigeria in the west, Algeria in the north, and Cameroon as a hub for Francophone Africa.

“We are expanding our African footprint,” said Cohen. Particular focus will remain on South Africa, home of the Africa unit’s head office, according to the executive.

SAP, based in Walldorf, Germany, generated 49 percent of its 14.2 billion-euro revenue last year from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company has said it will invest an additional $450 million in the Middle East and North Africa over four years to extend its lead in the region.
Small-Business Target

Expansion in Africa will help the company double sales of its small-business software on the continent in four years, said Cohen. “We are expanding on the ground, signing up partners in order facilitate the sale of the software.”

SAP offers a $1,500 Business One package for small businesses and the system can be used by a maximum of five people.

“We are changing the perception that SAP only deals with large enterprises,” Cohen said. “The market potential for this package is very big in Africa, the depth is endless.”

SAP’s research showed there are more than 1 million small businesses in Africa for which the system would be suitable, according to the unit chief.

SAP has been selling about 400 of the packages a year to small enterprises in Africa and about 2,000 a year globally, said Cohen. The system can be used to manage inventory, sales, finance, manufacturing, business intelligence and customer relations, according to Cohen.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sikonathi Mantshantsha in Johannesburg at smantshantsh@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...in-africa.html

SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software. The company's best known products are its enterprise resource planning application (SAP ERP), SAP BusinessObjects software, and most recently, Sybase mobile products and in-memory computing appliance SAP HANA.

In December 2011, SAP AG agreed to buy SuccessFactors Inc. for $3.4 billion in cash or 52 percent more than the share closing price on 2 December 2011. With the acquisition, SAP AG will become more competitive with Oracle Corp. in the Cloud computing market.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_AG

[Matthias Offodile]

Luanda has its own Bavarian Oktoberfest now



Sponsors are some of the German companies present in Angola

Oktoberfest in Angola with beer, Bavarian music, this is so freeeeaaaakin´weird. I really laughed my head off

[Kizaca]

Originally Posted by Matthias Offodile

Luanda has its own Bavarian Oktoberfest now



Sponsors are some of the German companies present in Angola

Oktoberfest in Angola with beer, Bavarian music, this is so freeeeaaaakin´weird. I really laughed my head off

I don't know why they do not want to sell us Patrolling ships. the very same baseless argument is being used to deny us coast guard ships. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/0...7ID2NZ20110713

[Matthias Offodile]

Welcome to BAUER (Angola) Lda.



BAUER (Angola) Lda. is a subsidiary of the German company BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, a worldwide leading special foundation contractor.

BAUER (Angola) Lda. has been set-up in Luanda in order to provide the market with solutions and services at the highest international standards. Our team, consisting of more than one hundred highly committed employees and few international specialists, operates a fleet of modern special foundation equipment.

We are committed to a quality and innovative service to our clients and we have the intention to remain at the forefront of the industry by providing cost effective quality service.

http://www.bauer-angola.com/en/index.html