Malanje — The deputy -governor for Political, Economic and Social affairs of the northern Malanje province, Franco Mufinda, on Tuesday warned local economic operators to request the assistance of the National Police, while handling large sums of money in commercial establishments to prevent criminal acts.
The deputy governor was referring to the recent record of violent crimes in commercial establishments, especially of the one that occurred on June 14, which resulted in two deaths and the consequent theft of 24 million kwanzas, as well as serious harm to the physical integrity of a West African shopkeeper.
Speaking at a workshop on Economic Activity in Malanje, he lamented the fact that many businesspeople operate without observing security measures, which ends up attracting criminals and puts their assets and the lives of their employees at risk.
'In light of these events, we thought it appropriate to promote this debate. There are still traders who move large sums of money recklessly,' Mufinda explained.
Franco Mufinda expressed concern about the fact that many traders, especially foreigners, operate in the province illegally, without a work visa, which is a criminal offence under the law.
One of the points covered at the event had to do with the Asset and Financial Security System, which was addressed by the commander of the Malanje Customs Tax Unit, Gaspar Adolfo da Silva, who on the occasion stressed the need for commercial establishments to have surveillance cameras and private security agents to help the defense and security agencies to clarify any possible crimes.
The workshop, which brought together representatives of the Financial Information Unit of the National Bank of Angola (BNA), the commercial banking sector, the tax policy and economic operators, aimed to analyze the state of economic activity and draw up a strategy to improve bottlenecks.
It also discussed topics such as the formalization of economic activity, the exercise of economic activity by foreigners, the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, mechanisms for opening bank accounts, access to Automatic Payment Terminals and the role of ANIESA in overseeing economic activities. ACC/PBC/DAN/AMP
