Luanda — At least 19,000 jobs have been created, so far, in the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE), as a result of the operationalization of several projects in this industrial park.
This information was disclosed by the ZEE manager, Manuel Francisco Pedro, on the sidelines of the first African Sustainable Investment Summit (ASIS), which took place from the 26th to the 28th, in parallel with the 10th Annual Meeting of African Special Economic Zones (ZEE).
On the occasion, Manuel Pedro said that 99 new projects are under construction, which will generate more jobs, especially for young people.
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He said that ZEE has been attracting investments in the most diverse sectors, including pharmaceuticals, towards the dynamization and development of the country, in particular, and the continent, in general.
He considered Zones as an instrument of economic policy so that countries can, in fact, diversify their economies and revitalize their industrial fabric.
In turn, the executive director of the African Union Development Agency, Nardos Bekele Thomas, pointed to the need to consolidate economic growth based on diversification.
He recalled that the African continent has more than 270 Special Economic Zones, with the majority concentrated in the Eastern region, reflecting the countries' ambition for industrialization, economic diversification and the creation of new opportunities.
The executive secretary of the United Nations (UN) for the African Economic Commission, Clever Getet, praised the progress that the continent's Economic Zones have registered, currently generating more than 8 billion dollars for the world economy.
He highlighted that Ethiopia's ZEE and Luanda-Bengo clearly show that Africa can design and operate at a global level with successful industrial ecosystems.
The first African Sustainable Investment Summit (ASIS) and the 10th Annual Meeting of African Special Economic Zones (ZEEs) were promoted by the Organization of African Economic Zones (AEZO) in partnership with the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone.
Topics such as the challenges of industrialization and attracting investment for the continent, the importance of ports in creating regional value chains, new trends and recent developments in the ZEE ecosystem on the continent, among other topics, dominated the competitions.
