Angola spent US$170 million on new imported clothes and US$65 million on used clothing (bales) in 2019, resources that could be saved if the country’s textile industry was in operation, said the Angolan secretary of state for industry.

Ivan do Prado, who was providing information to the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, during a visit to the Nova Textang II factory, with the recovery of the three main factories in the country (Satec, África Têxtil and Textang II), the textile companies would be able to produce 20 million items of clothing per year.

New Textang II has a monthly production capacity of 250,000 linear meters of fabric, following an investment of US$251 million spent on the recovery of the facilities and machinery.

The factory was part of the package to recover three major textile units in the country, an initiative which was provided with funding from Japan of US$1.2 billion.

In 2009, acting on a proposal from the Ministry of Industry, an Executive Programme for the Industrial Sector was approved for the 2009-2012 period, which included the rehabilitation projects of the former Satec, África Têxtil and Nova Textang II

After its recovery and modernisation, Nova Textang II and the other two factories were, in September 2013, sold to the private sector, as part of a process affected by a number of irregularities.

Since the three factories were handed over to private companies, África Têxtil ahs produce to less than 10% of its capacity, Nova Textang II less than 5.0% and former Satec has produced 0.0%, according to figures provided by the Institute of State Asset and Stake Management (IGAPE).

In March 2017, the Government, after analysing the situation of the textile factories, decided to remove them from the private companies that were responsible for them, after which it decided on a gradual privatisation of the units, subject to prerequisites that the previous companies had not met. (macauhub)