A modern sculpture in the center of the Angolan capital city of Luanda.

Out of all of Angola's 18 provinces, Luanda is perhaps the least likely to have any trouble attracting the kind of foreign investment the central government is counting on to help spur economic development throughout the nation.
Rebel uprisings that have become the thorn in the side of several outlying provinces are far removed from the cosmopolitan capital of the country and the province that bears its name, Luanda.
By encompassing the capital, the province as a whole has taken on an important role in the nation's economic and political development, says the governor of the province of Luanda, José Aníbal Lopes Rocha, who points out the province is home to the country's largest industrial park, located in Viana.
"At the Viana park heavy industry can be developed, either metal or mechanic, as well as manufacturing, which is well established, in areas such as the clothing and food and beverage industries and many others," Mr. Rocha says.

Luanda boasts an efficient railway, an international airport and a seaport

José Aníbal Lopes Rocha, Governor of Luanda.

And unlike other provinces that are struggling with problems with their transport infrastructure, Luanda boasts an efficient railway, a busy international airport and the country's largest seaport. "The Luanda province also has excellent areas suitable for developing tourism, therefore investment possibilities abound for quality hotels," the governor says. "And while Luanda the capital is an important city for services, the province has rich land that is ideal for farming and has quite diversified potential where large-scale investments can be made."
The real estate business offers an especially attractive opportunity. Urban development is moving at a fast pace in the capital, which is in need of both medium- and high-rent housing projects, Mr. Rocha says. "Luanda was a city designed for a population of 400,000, and today it hosts about four million. One of the priorities our government has focused on is the water supply. We have received funding from the World Bank for a US$120 million project aimed at remodeling the water distribution network for Luanda city."

Education is another top priority in the province, which is the nation's main supplier of human resources. The overwhelming population increase during the war years left nearly 200,000 school-aged children jockeying for their place within the education system.
"At the moment were are constructing more than 16 schools to be inaugurated by the beginning of the year that will provide schooling for more than 30,000 children," Mr. Rocha explains, adding that other programs provide school lunches for children from needy families. "Right now we are providing milk, sandwiches and yogurt to some 6,000 children, for the next academic year the project will be stepped up to include 10,000 children."
The governor's office has also committed itself to several public health programs such as vaccination campaigns against polio and other diseases that have improved the lives of over 1.5 million children. "At the moment we are also constructing about 10 healthcare centers to improve the health system in the outskirts, and we intend to build a Provincial Hospital with 600 beds," notes Mr. Rocha.

The capital's sanitation system, once an embarrassment to local officials, has improved remarkably in recent years. "We developed a basic sanitation project for the city and are recycling roughly 100 tons of solid residues each month," Mr. Rocha explains. "The recycling system has had strikingly visible effects on the capital. Anyone who saw the city eight years ago and sees it today will notice the substantial difference in Luanda's level of cleanliness. We are also recovering green areas."
Luanda's lack of a strong infrastructure base has become a valuable bargaining chip to attract foreign investors who want to cash in on the province's resources without an excessive initial cash outlay. "We have been encouraging investments in Luanda, for example, by making substantial allowances on land purchases.

Sometimes instead of receiving cash we seek an exchange of services," Mr. Rocha explains. "We have been accepting payments at some municipal rates for investors coming here, making price allowances for services rendered, such as sanitation, water and electricity as a way of encouraging them to come."
And as Luanda becomes more and more competitive with other big cities in the region like Johannesburg and Pretoria, the time is right for investments in services that cater to the tourism industry, the governor notes. "We have wonderful areas, including several privileged places suitable for the construction of good hotels. There are other additional opportunities such as good restaurants, golf courses and sport fishing facilities, all of which are included in our government action program for tourism."