Lisbon, Portugal, 18 Nov – Portuguese shipyard company Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo may be privatised Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said in Luanda Thursday, adding that there were Angolan investors interested in the deal.

Speaking to Portuguese state television channel in Luanda whilst on his official visit to Angola, the prime minister said that, “Angola needs to buy a number of ships that Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo has the capacity to produce.”

“It is very possible, for example as part of the privatisation, that Angolan investors may be interested in being involved in the shipyards and that a company in Angola may transfer technology and existing knowledge from the Portuguese company to Angola,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Angola-Portugal business meeting, at the Portuguese Cultural Centre in Luanda, Passos Coelho said that Portugal had much to gain from driving its strategic alliance with Angola.

“And that’s the backdrop to what brought me to Angola,” he said noting that this was, “a relatively short visit, but an essential one that allows the bodies from the two countries to meet each other directly.”

According to the Angolan Finance Minister, Carlos Lopes, who took part in the meeting with the prime minister, in the current phase of national reconstruction the credit lines provided by Portugal have played an essential role in the country’s growth and development.

Lopes noted that there were great investment opportunities to be had in Angola, including some in the construction, agriculture and agri-industrial sectors.

This was the first visit by the Portuguese prime minister to Angola since he took office on 21 June. (macauhub)