The province of Namibe offers a wide array of potential opportunities open to foreign investment which will further boost the region’s economic development.

However tempting it may be to do business with sub-Sahara’s second-largest oil producer, most people in general mistakenly reject the idea of Angola as a prime investment site because of its lingering civil war. Few people realize that despite the diamond-rich country’s tendency towards instability, one province stands out as a sturdy enclave of peace and prosperity.
There are no war scars marking the southwest coastal province of Namibe, because it escaped unscathed the civil strife that has stunted economic growth in most of the nation since independence from Portugal in 1975. This well-developed province of 57,000 square kilometers and 255,000 inhabitants, where sea, desert and savanna meet, represents a seed of hope for the rest of the nation.

The Portuguese made their way to the Namibe area in 1485. The region, the first district to be created in southern Angola, was referred to as Mocamedes in those times. The arrival of the first Brazilian settlers in 1849 marked the beginning of the organized exploitation of natural resources in Namibe.
Namibe’s economy has also been built upon a sturdy foundation of stability, transparency and skillful management. Its excellent climate and fertile soils have encouraged a unique and highly-profitable agriculture sector. Most notably, it is the only province in all of Angola where grapes and olives can be successfully grown.
More than 65% of the country’s fishing industry is to be found on Namibe’s bountiful Atlantic shores, which also provide the backdrop for the province’s budding tourism industry along with its extensive nature and hunting reserves.

Namibe boasts 57,000 square kilometers of sea, desert and savanna

Fishing remains the cornerstone of Namibe’s economy and the industry continues to grow and expand. The majority of the fish caught are dried and salted with the rest being frozen or used in meal, oils and canning. The waters off the coast are also home to the region’s world-famous crabs and mussels.
The Namibe harbor is currently the third most important in Angola, and it has the potential of becoming one of western Africa’s top harbors in the near future. It is comprised of a commercial port, from which fish products and agriculture goods are exported, and a mineral port for handling bulky cargo like iron ore, marble, granite and fuels.

The commercial port is separated into areas to manage long-course navigation and domestic traffic. A 15-kilometer-long rail system serves the port and links it to the Benguela railway and on to eastern Angola.
The mineral port can handle ships of up to 150,000 tons. Construction was finished in 1967 and the port has been praised by leaders in the shipping industry as a world-class engineering feat. The easily accessible airport, located in the provincial capital, Namibe, was designed according to international standards.
The Namib Desert stretches far into the province of Namibe and is home to an excellent wildlife preserve, while the coast provides spectacular beaches.

Namibe also abounds in minerals: the materials that the provincial government, headed by Governor Salomao Xirimbimbi, is keen to utilize to their fullest potential in order to develop the province into an industrial success story. To secure the funding it needs to reach its goals, the government says it is especially open to investors from the United States, who have already shown considerable interest in several Namibe enterprises and who have so far not been disappointed by the province’s wealth of opportunities and peaceful environment.