|
1
- Political Status
Angola
is a People's Republic. The constitution was
adopted on 15th November 1975 and modified in
October 1976, September 1990 and March
1991.
Executive
power is in the hands of the President of the
Republic, who is elected by universal suffrage for
a five year term of office. The present President,
nominated by the MPLA (Popular Movement for the
Liberation of Angola) is José Eduardo Dos
Santos, born on 28th August 1942. He took power on
20th September 1979, replacing Agostinho di Neto
who died on 10th September 1979.
The Vice President is Jonas Savimbi from the UNITA
party.
Legislative
power is held by the National Assembly (220 seats +
3 reserved for Angolans from other countries).
There are 18 provinces.
The
Angolan army (FAA) is made up of 20,000 soldiers
and a riot police with 30-40,000 men.
The
political parties are :
-MPLA-PT : the Angolan Popular Liberation Movement
/ Labour Party, created in 1956
-FNLA : the Angolan National Liberation Front,
created in 1962
-UNITA : the National Union for the total
independence of Angola, created in 1966
Short
historical outline :
In 13th century Angola was called the kingdom of
Kongo, the capital was Mbanza (later Sao Salvador)
1482 : the country is discovered by Diogo Cao
1484 : the coast is occupied by the Portuguese
1574 : the country adopts the name of the king
N'Gola
In 16th century Portuguese trading stations were
set up
In 17th century Angola was a centre of the slave
trade. When the Spanish took possession of America,
opening the route to the slave trade, the
Portuguese took on the role of suppliers of labour
for South America.
1617 : King N'Gola is decapitated
1641 : arrival of the Dutch, chased out by the
Brazilians in 1648
1656 : treaty of independence of Ndongo
1705 : with the aid of the clergy King Pedro IV
takes power
1956 : founding of the MPLA party
1957 : founding of the FLNA party
1961 : rebellion, murder of 2000 whites, 10,000
people were killed in revenge, thousands of
Angolans fled to the Congo
1966 : founding of the UNITA party
1972 : Supreme council of liberation formed with
the President Roberto Holden
1974 : confrontations between blacks and whites (35
dead in July)
1975 : transition government, independence, civil
war. 400,000 Portuguese leave the country. South
African intervention. Independence.
Since independence
1975 : Agostinho di Neto (1922-79) President of
the Republic
1975-1991 : 230,000 dead, 1 million displaced
people, 10,000 children sent to Cuba for
training
1976 : several thousand dead, coffee plantations
destroyed
1977 : failed coup attempt in Luanda (20,000
dead)
1978 : the FAPLA (regular army of 30,000 men) and
the Cubans (23,000 men) fight UNITA
1981-82 : South African raids
1988 : South African bombing
1991 : multi-party law passed. United Nations
supervision. The Estoril agreements between Dos
Santos and Savimbi.
1992 : Legislative and presidential elections, Mr
Dos Santos wins them, the results are contested by
Savimbi who starts the war again
1994 : peace treaties signed in Lusaka (Zambia),
between Dos Santos and Savimbi
1995 : the peace agreement is broken (signed
between the goverment army chiefs and UNITA).
Meeting in Lusaka between Dos Santos and Savimbi
for a reconciliation.
1996 : Fernando José de Franca Dias Van
Dunem is nominated Prime Minister.
2 - Geographical situation
Angola is the biggest country south of the
Sahara. It is situated between the equator and the
Tropic of Capricorn, between the Congo and Namibia
on the west coast of southern Africa.
The capital is Luanda.
The geographical relief rises gradually from the
coast to the interior, reaching a height of 2620 m
at Mt Morro Moco. There is an Angolan
plateau.
The
total surface of Angola is 1,246,700 sq. kms.
including the Cabinda zone. From north to south it
stretches 1277 kms and from west to east 1236 kms.
The region of Cabina, off which are the petrol
fields, was occupied by Angola in 1975 with
Cuban-Soviet aid. This enclave, separated from
Angola by a strip of land belonging to the Congo
Republic with the southern boundary which follows
the estuary of the Zaire River, has a surface of
7270 sq.kms. and 300,000 inhabitants.
The
main rivers are the Zaire and the Kwango in the
north, and from north to south the rivers Cuanza,
Cunene Cubango, Cuito, Cuandro, Lungue Bungo
(tributary of the Zambeze) Cassai and
Cuilo.
The
main provinces are : Zaire - Uige - Malanie -
North Lunda - South Lunda - Moxico - Cuando Cubango
- Cunen - Nambe - Huila Huambo - Benguela- Bengo -
North Cuanza - South Cuanza.
The
main game reserves are : in the west, the Ambriz
and the Namibia parks, in the east the National
Park of Cangandola, Mupa and Cameia.
3 - Economy & statistics
Angola's economic life is marked from years of
civil war.
Its
economy has been devastated by a soviet-style
regime and a total absence of capital. The growth
of economic activity has fallen by 35%. All the
economic sectors have been touched and the
perspectives depend entirely on severe political
measures.
In
spite of the foreign currency revenues from petrol
and diamonds, the population's situation is
catastrophic : 3 million people live from
humanitarian aid; food shortages menace most of the
provinces. Entire parts of the country are
completely isolated, the roads are in such a bad
condition. The rising prices are out of control.
Life expectancy is only 42 and one and a half
million children live way under the poverty
threshhold. Most investments and reforms are
frozen. The Angolan leaders have used more than
half of the money coming in from petrol to buy arms
and at the same time corruption has cut down tax
revenues dramatically.
As
well as trying to control the economy the
government is attempting to get financial backing
from western international organizations and
private investors. The main preoccupation of the
Angolan economic institutions is to relaunch the
economic activity of the country.
The
government has adopted liberal methods to develope
partnerships with local and international companies
in numerous domains. A process of privatization
which has been started by the government, will
hopefully dynamize the local economy and the
principle companies concerned.
The
return of Portuguese companies and massive
investment from South Africa are major assets in
the country's developement perspectives.
There
are very few French companies permanently installed
in Angola.
The
basic foodstuffs like rice and oil have become more
difficult to find and more expensive since the
expulsion of West African shopkeepers.
External trade
(in billions of dollars)
|
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
|
exports
|
3.836
|
5.363
|
5.223
|
3.879
|
|
imports
|
-3.519
|
-4.464
|
-5.389
|
-4.546
|
|
balance
of trade
|
-0.295
|
3.266
|
-0.852
|
-1.776
|
(Source: Atlas éco 2001)
Imports
come from the United States : 17.1%, Japan : 2.3%,
the European Union : 53.6% (19.8% comes from
Portugal), Africa : 12.6%
Division of GDP by activity sector
Agriculture
: 12.3%
Industry : 5.7%
Mining : 45.8%
Services :36.3%
Economy
(in billions of dollars, except GNP per capita
in dollars)
|
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
|
Gross
National Product
|
4.11
|
4.28
|
4.10
|
1.87
|
|
PNB
par habitant
|
210
|
250
|
380
|
160
|
|
croiss.volume
du PIB
|
11.7%
|
6.6%
|
5.0%
|
1.9%
|
|
aide
(+ ou -)
|
0.379
|
0.882
|
1.171
|
-
|
|
dette
extérieure brute
|
6.836
|
7.488
|
7.951
|
-
|
|
taux
d'inflation
|
905.3%
|
111.2%
|
86.9%
|
286.1%
|
|
taux
d'intérêt
|
147.13%
|
29.25%
|
36.88%
|
37.50%
|
|
recettes
touristiques
|
0.009
|
0.009
|
0.008
|
-
|
|
investissement
étrangers
|
0.181
|
0.350
|
0.360
|
-
|
|
cours
US dollar
|
128029
|
229040
|
392823
|
2790706
|
(Source: Atlas éco 2001)
General
information
|
Purchasing
power parity (PPP)
|
1200
dollars
|
|
GNP
growth 1990-1997
|
-10%
per capita per annum
|
|
Households
with PPP+$30000pa
|
35
000 = 1.5%
|
|
Households
with PPP +$15000pa
|
95
000 = 4%
|
|
Households
with PPP -$5000 pa
|
1
830 000 = 9%
|
4 - Agriculture
Before Angola was ravaged by civil war it had a
prosperous agriculture and was one of the leading
African producers of coffee and fruit. On the high
plateaus the soil was very fertile, strawberries
grew all the year round.
Today
the agriculture has been reduced to a few food
crops which are not even enough to cover the
population's needs.
Agriculture
(livestock in millions of head, timber in millions
of m3, other products in millions of tons)
|
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
|
wheat
|
0.005
|
0.005
|
0.006
|
0.004
|
|
wood
|
6.073
|
6.272
|
6.472
|
-
|
|
coffee
|
0.003
|
0.004
|
0.005
|
0.005
|
|
sugar
cane
|
0.290
|
0.310
|
0.340
|
0.340
|
|
cotton
|
0.004
|
0.004
|
0.004
|
-
|
|
maize
|
0.398
|
0.370
|
0.505
|
0.428
|
|
millet
|
0.102
|
0.062
|
0.089
|
0.102
|
|
potatoes
|
0.028
|
0.024
|
0.025
|
0.019
|
|
rice
|
0.020
|
0.021
|
0.021
|
0.016
|
|
cattle
|
3.309
|
3.556
|
3.898
|
3.900
|
|
sheep
|
0.260
|
0.280
|
0.305
|
0.336
|
|
pigs
|
0.810
|
0.820
|
0.810
|
0.800
|
|
fishing
|
0.073
|
0.072
|
-
|
-
|
(Source: Atlas éco 2001)
5 - Industries & mining
Petrol and diamonds : the core of the war. If you
compare the amount of petrol and diamonds and other
precious minerals that it produces with its low
number of inhabitants Angola should be the richest
country in Africa, but thirty odd years of civil
war have totally bled the country dry.
In
1973 950,000 tons of manganese were extracted, as
well as copper, iron (the Assigna region), uranium,
natural bitumen.
In
1999 Angola claims to have produced diamonds for a
value of 614 million dollars, but most analysts
estimate that the amount is exaggerated. Since
January 2000 Ascorp, which is the government
organism in charge of controlling the diamond
trade, is dealing with the transactions.
UNITA
exploits most of the diamond mines. Qualified
labour is rare.
The main mine is Cuongo.
After the United Nations peace mission had been
declared a failure, the Security Council adopted a
new strategy to defuse the Angolan conflict by
decreeing in July 1998 an embargo on the diamond
exports of the Angolan rebels. But by October 1999
the UN experts in charge of following up the
sanctions against UNITA concluded that the embargo
had failed. The diamonds now go through other
diverted channels (West Africa, southern Africa).
The giant De Beers went one further than the UN and
decreed unilaterally in October 1999 an embargo on
all the Angolese production, legal or not, and on
other African countries as well.
Angola
is the second biggest petrol producer in Black
Africa after Nigeria with nearly 650,000 barrels a
day. Its attractive petrol policies concerning
foreign partners has developed its offshore
drilling. The petrol revenues in 1999 came to 4.5
billion dollars and represent 90% of the public
revenue.
Mining
(in millions of tons : diamonds in thousands of
carats)
|
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
Rating
|
|
diamonds
|
2250
|
1110
|
3000
|
3400
|
5
|
|
petrol
|
34.8
|
35.3
|
35.3
|
38.5
|
25
|
(Source: Atlas éco 2001)
Some
industries exist manufacturing wood products,
paper, sugar, gas, cement and metal
containers.
7 - Population The population of 12,001,430
is composed of 37% Ovumbundus, 25% Kimbundus, 13%
Bakongos and 2% Mestizos (mixed blood).
Population
of working age (15-65) : 6 million
Population working : 4.8 million, 27% in industry
and services
Growth rate : 2.90 %
Population density : 10 inhab./km2
0-14 year olds : 47.55%
15-64 year olds : 49.57%
65 years and over : 2.88%
reproduction rate : 6.74%
life expectancy : 46.5 ans
urban population : 32.92%
Level
of developement (latest available
figures)
demographic
growth 1997-2015 (%) : +2.7
infant mortality (%) : 12.5
energy consumption per capita TOE : 0.53
population without drinking water (% pop) : 69
population without sanitary installations (% pop) :
60
n° of doctors per 1000 inhabitants : 0.1
n° of telephone lines per 1000 inhabitants :
5
n° of mobile phones per 1000 inhabitants :
1
n° of private cars per 1000 inhabitants :
18
n° of computers per 1000 inhabitants : 0.7
adult illiteracy (%) : 65e
secondary schooling/age group (%) : 11.8
graduates/age group (%) : 1
8 - Language
Portuguese, Ombundu, Kimbundu and Kikongo are
spoken.
9 - Religion
Several religions are practised in the country
:
- Roman Catholics 38 %
- Protestants 15%
- tribal religions 47%
10 - Weights, measures & voltage
The metric system is in use.
11 - Money
Currency : kwanza (= 100 Iweis)
Exchange rate : 100 AOA = 67,251 FRF
Exchange regime: floating exchange rate
since 24/05/99. On 13/12/99 the new kwanza
(AOA) was introduced, equal to 1 million old
kwanzas (OAR)
12 - Main towns
Luanda is the capital of Angola. An
international port and airport, it has 1,600,000
inhabitants.
Other main towns : Huambo, 200,000
inhabitants. Benguela, 155,000 inhabitants.
Lobito, 150,000 inhabitants. Lubango,
105,000 inhabitants.
13 - Climate
The Angolan climate has two predominant seasons :
the dry season and the rainy season.
Dry season (May to September) :
On the coastal plain the climate is dominated by
fog (due to the cold Benguela current) which takes
away a lot of the sun. This season is however the
best for travelling as the heat is much more
bearable.
Be
careful in the regions of Malange and the Lucala
Falls which are situated on the plateau : it is not
rare that huge temperature differences are recorded
between night and day (it sometimes even freezes
very early in the morning). It is also very cold
during the night in the mountain chain along the
coast.
If
you want to visit the game parks (Cameia, Luando,
Milando, etc.) the best period is from mid-August
to December.
Rainy season (October to April) :
On the extension of the Namibean desert, in the
southern part of Angola, there is nearly no
rain.
The rainfall is heavier and heavier the more you
penetrate into the interior of the country.
Sometimes the rainy season is interrupted around
the region of Luanda by a short dry period called
the "little cacimbo".
« Little cacimbo » : a dry and
stuffy period which affects the high regions and
the southern coast. The sea on the southern part of
the coast is cooled by the cold Benguela
current.
In
the north in the Cabinda region (between Zaire and
Congo) the rainfall is heavier than in Luanda. The
sky is often overcast.
Temperature averages (max/min)
.........................................J
...........F ..........M .........A ........M
........J ..........J ........A .......S
..........O........... N ........D
Cangamba (1 325 m) ..29/17 ...29/17 ...31/17
...32/14 ...32/11 ...30/9 ...28/8 ...31/8 ...32/13
...31/15 ...29/16 ..29/16
Enclave de Cabinda ..30/23 ...31/23 ...31/23
...30/23 ...29/23 ...26/21 ..26/18 .26/19 .27/21
..28/23 ...29/23 ..28/23
Huambo (1 700 m) .....25/14 ...25/14 ...25/15
...25/14 ...26/11 ...25/8 ....25/8 ...27/10 .29/13
..27/14 ...25/14 ...25/15
Luanda .......................30/24 ...31/24
...31/24 ...31/24 ...29/23 ...27/30 ..24/18 ..24/18
.26/20 ..28/22 ...29/23 ..30/23
Moçâdemes ...............26/18
...28/20 ...29/21... 28/19 ...25/15 ...22/14..
20/13 ..21/14 .22/15 ..23/16 ...26/17 ..26/18
Sea Temperatures: monthly average
............................J.... F.... M...
A... .M.... J..... J..... A.... S.... O.... N....
D
Luanda ............26 ...27 ...27 ...27 ...26 ...23
...22 ...21 ...22 ...24 ...25 ...25
Moçâdemes ....21 ...22 ...24 ...24
...22 ...19 ...18 ...17 ...18 ...19 ...20 ...21
14 - Insects & animals
There are mosquitoes everywhere in the country
which are particularly active after nightfall
15 - Working in the country
Before leaving
You should take Portuguese lessons, or improve
your level. The quality of job you would like to
have may depend on how well you speak the
language.
With a French or international company
If your employer is a French or international
company you don't have to worry about formalities.
Usually the administrative services deal with all
the formalities concerning the expatriate staff.
Unless you are the only representative of your
company in the country (sales representative, or in
charge of a liaising office ...), in this case you
will have to deal with the formalities
yourself.
Preparing
for your departure and looking for a job :
You can start searching for information by writing
to French associations established in the country,
economic expansion services, commercial services of
foreign banks in France and French banks
abroad.
The
French consulate usually has a service dealing with
jobs and training, student grants and reinsertion
in France, and they can put you in touch with local
enterprises who are willing to accept French
personnel.
(See
also in the Practical Guide for the
Expatriate).
The
French Chamber of Commerce also offers information
about the job market, the most dynamic sectors of
the economy, and edits a bulletin for French
companies and local members. You could publish a
job application in this bulletin.
Documents
about the country are usually available in the
cultural service of the Angolan Embassy in
Paris.
While
you are hunting for information you could contact
companies directly by sending a spontaneous
candidacy proposing your services.
The
international departments of the Chambers of
Commerce and Industry often have information about
the country available. Directories and useful
dossiers from the country can be helpful in getting
information on sectors of activity and the local
economic life.
Where
to find job offers :
In the French press (Le Monde, Le France Soir,
Figaro, Moniteur du Bâtiment,...) for French
companies sending people abroad.
In
the international press, in nearly all the bigger
dailies there exists a page or a selection of job
offers (The European, The Guardian, Vacature,
Coriere della Sera, The Geneva Tribunal
..)
Leading
recruitment bureaus in Europe, and interim
companies sometimes offer international
jobs.
There
are several data banks specializing in job offers
abroad on Internet which are easily
accessible.
Writing
your CV and covering letter :
Your dossier is a determining element towards being
recruited, it is the first step towards obtaining
an interview.
The
CV should be very clear, typewritten, detailled,
preferably written in English and it should be
accompanied by a handwritten covering letter.
Certain countries do not accord much importance to
handwriting, but it is advisable to write the
letter by hand whichever country it is addressed
to.
If
the company is French or the subsidiary of a French
company, the CV and the covering letter should
still be written in the language of the
country.
Don't
forget to attach a recent photo, preferably one
where you are smiling.
Your
CV should be detailled, and have the addresses
and phone numbers of ex-employers on it so that the
company can easily verify the main points of your
candidacy. This can save you from sending a pile of
photocopies and documents with it. You can always
present these documents later during an interview
if necessary.
If
you are thinking of sending a false CV, you should
know that a study from the Florian Mantione
Institute shows that 45% of the employers check up
on CVs, that 34% of the candidates are eliminated
during this verification and that 60% of the
verifications are made with the previous
employer.
Whatever your reasons for 'adapting' your CV to
suit the ad, be warned that it won't help you
during the interview and could even cause you
prejudice.
The
questions to ask yourself before an expatriation
:
What exactly is the job?
What is the length of the contract?
Is it for the whole family or with bachelor
conditions?
What kind of life will you have locally?
Have you thought about when you get back, how you
will manage financially to fit in again?
Do you have the necessaries qualities to be an
expatriate?
Qualities
you need to succeed :
emotional stability (so you can react quickly
in any situation)
autonomy (you can make decisions on your own in any
circumstance)
being mobile and being available for your job,
being able to relocate quickly
being good at meeting people (don't forget that the
expatriate is also an ambassador for his country
whether in his professional or his social life.
being adaptable (you can easily adapt to different
cultures, climates and life styles. )
being able to accept and understand different
cultures and cultural differences
tolerance and respect of other people's way of life
and way of living should be a natural part of your
character.
Your
family and recruiting :
Your partner should have the same ambitions as
you. It is often an important factor in choosing an
expatriate.
In fact some recruitment bureaus or big firms when
they are recruiting, specially for long term
projects, insist on having an interview with the
wife to check that there are no problems in the
couple which could get worse abroad and maybe
disturb the mission.
Companies often propose that the whole family goes
together so that a good family balance is
kept.
During
the recruiting :
Punctuality and precision are appreciated
everywhere. Be on time for your
appointments.
Be
well dressed for your interview, whatever kind of
job you are trying for. Your appearance will weigh
with the interviewer.
First
interviews are often very short but can last
several hours if your candidacy is interesting,
depending on the post offered, and if you have to
do any psychotechnical (graphological analysis) or
aptitude tests.
Be
careful not to appear pretentious about your
know-how and don't exaggerate your professional
competence.
Don't
forget that nowadays the job market is a chronic
problem nearly all over the world, so take an
interview appointment seriously, jobs are not easy
to come by.
Emphasize
your real competence, your ease of adaption, your
mobility, your ability to work in a team, your
readiness to pool your experience.
The
company and the expatriate :
A lot of countries abroad like to have, and to
show that they have, expatriates on their
staff.
International personnel often bring in experience
and knowledge which can be very advantageous for a
company.
Salaries
- Salary requirements :
If the candidate doesn't know the prospective
country, it isn't always easy to negotiate a
salary, especially if the amount has already been
mentionned on the ad.
However, there is nothing to stop you from showing
your previous salary and from discussing the salary
offered. The recruiting agent or the employer may
appreciate knowing what for you is the minimum.
The standard of living that you find abroad is not
always similar to the one you know in your own
country and sometimes if the salary is much higher
you will find that the cost of living is also.
This is one of the reasons, and there are several,
including social security conditions, why it is
better to go abroad with a French company.
French companies sending people overseas budget for
differences in the cost of living. They can
reassure the expatriate that his purchasing power
will at least be the same as in France.
The 'basic French salary' can be paid either in
France or abroad, it is usually a choice, and an
allowance is paid for living expenses
(accomodation, food,...) This compensation is based
on the cost of living in the country.
Taxes
(see the page in the expatriate guide)
If you are employed locally you will have to pay
taxes in the country.
If you have an international contract your salary
can be negotiated free of taxes.
In some countries income tax is deducted at source
by the company.
Accomodation
- company car - other fringe benefits :
It is nearly impossible to negotiate for a company
house if you are employed locally. Getting a car
depends on your job and your level in the
company.
In a local company it will be very difficult to
negotiate a paid return ticket to France every
year.
There again, if you are an expatriate working for a
French company you will get fringe benefits, a
house, car, travel allowance, return flights to
France ...
Usually international contracts give 15 days leave
in France every 3 months.
Working
conditions :
These are the local ones with all the attenuating
advantages and disadvantages if you are working for
a local company.
The expatriate is often considered as an immigrant
and has to deal himself with the local
formalities.
On
the administrative side the expatriate does not
have to worry about the formalities concerning the
police, customs, immigration, income tax, visa or
consular declaration. French or European companies
abroad always have an administrative department
which completes all the formalities for its
personnel and deals with any problems which could
arise.
Foreign
companies remain subject to the laws of the country
in which they are working.
Attitude
towards foreign investment
The lowest limit for a foreign investor is fixed a
250,000 dollars. Fiscal and customs duties
advantages can be accorded, but there are still
some restraints : it is forbidden to invest in
certain domains such as defence or in some sectors
reserved for the State (port administration
...)
Other
activities have to be controlled by the State
(mostly public) or open to foreign operators via
temporary concessions.
The level of technical training is very
low.
16
- Formalities
Passport necessary for everyone except Angolan
citizens who have an identity card marked 'born in
Angola'.
Visa
necessary for everyone, Angolans included,
except for
- transit passengers who don't leave the
airport
This visa is delivered by the Angolan
representatives in Brussels, Luxemburg, Holland,
France (Paris), Italy (Rome), Portugal (Lisbon),
Sweden (Stockhom)
Exit permit is also necessary for all
visitors. To be asked on arrival from the same
authorities who gave the entry permit.
17 - Health
A risk of malaria all year, more particularly from
November to April. Take a treatment with you -
there exists a resistence to Nivaquine and
Chloroquine.
Vaccinations :
Yellow fever : obligatory.
Cholera : obligatory
Household
pets (cats and dogs) must have an anti-rabies
shot.
Medicine :
Anti-diarrhea, only drink water that has been
boiled and disinfected, or filtered or bottled
water with a sealed cap.
Wash
fruit and vegetables in disinfected water and only
eat well cooked foodstuffs.
Precautions :
It is a good idea to take a medical kit with
you which should contain :
1 - instruments : pointed scissors, thermometer,
tweezers, safety pin, syringes and sterile
needles.
2 - antiseptics and dressings : a local antiseptic,
sterile compresses, plasters, a crepe bandage,
antibiotic cream, antiseptic eyedrops.
3 - medicine : anti-malaria tablets and treatment,
antidiarrhea pills, paracetamol, wide acting
antibiotics, anti-allergics (if you are prone to
allergies), a sleeping draught and any other pills
that you take regularly.
4 - various : water sterilization tablets
(Micropure, Hydroclonazone), sun cream, antispectic
cream, ear plugs, contraceptives.
19 -Time differences
The time difference with France is 0 in winter and
+1 hour in summer.
18 - Transport
The Paris-Luanda flight lasts 9 hours.
The
national airline is the Linhas Aereas of
Angola.
Internal transport :
Angola has nine new airports (among which is
Luanda International)
three important sea ports (Luanda : 1,100,000 tons,
Cabinda and Lobito-Benguela)
2,800 kms of railway
and 80,000 kms of roads, 9,000 of which are
tarmac
20 - Telecommunications
Telephone :
There are 48,900 telephones in the
country.
To
phone Angola from France : dial 00 244 + the town
code + the n° of your correspondent
Luanda = 2
Press/Newspapers :
Leading Angolan daily : « O Jornal de
Angola » (daily : 50,000 copies)
Rua Raihna Jinga, 13-24 - CP 1312 LUANDA. : tel 33
16 19.
21 - Airport
Angola has nine new airports (among which is Luanda
International)
22
- Car rental
Avis
Luanda - Tel.32658 /32681
Airport - Tel. 391 398
All
Avis cars are completely equipped, have done less
than 15,000 kms and have an average age of 3
months. The vehicles are carefully prepared and
checked between each rental using a procedure
containing 7 obligatory control points. The cars
are rented with a full tank.
Renting from Avis automatically means that the car
passengers, renter and/or driver are covered by a
third party insurance as well as an insurance
covering repatriation and the immobilization of the
vehicule in case of an accident.
You
can reserve a car :
- from your travel agent
- from the international reservation centre at 0
820 05 05 05
- or from any Avis agency
Avis has an interactive network worldwide, a client
can reserve a car instantly from anywhere in the
world.
We
recommend that you pay your rental using your
accredited Avis card or with another credit card
accepted by Avis : American Express, Visa,
Mastercard, Diners.
Through a simple free membership system, Avis gives
identity and/or payment cards, which are a real
help for a rapid and efficient service.
REASSURING
: No on-line payment, you can pay Avis directly at
the agency when you return the car
RAPID : Avis has the quickest car rental
reservation service on the web
ECONOMICAL : The cheapest rates on the market are
available on the Avis microsite
COMPLETE : You can rent a car anywhere in the
world.
The Avis network : 5000 agencies in 172 countries,
is now on-line!
EFFICIENT : Find your town (you don't have to fill
in the country), enter the date and click on
estimate
PRACTICAL : You only have to fill in 4 boxes and
you will receive an e-mail confirming the
reservation.
You can even rent a vehicle at the last minute just
round the corner or ... on the other side of the
world.
23
- Hotels
The hotels which have a star-classing system are
quite reasonably priced.
Le Presidente Meridien Luanda - 4 de
Fevereiro, BP 5791 (5 stars),
184 rooms, 304 beds
24 - Your suitcase
Take light clothing and neutral colours if you
visit the game parks. Also a light sweater or
jacket for airconditionning or cooler
evenings.
Take
good walking shoes.
26 - Banks
Banco Nacional de Angola/Direçao
Operaçoes Internacionais
Foreign
exchange regime
Commercial banks can negotiate with their clients
or for their own benefit the buying or the sale of
foreign currency at a freely chosen rate. Classical
procedures permit companies to repatriate their
profits, after authorisation from the National
Bank, the latter having the monopoly on
transfers.
In reality, the reserves of strong foreign
currencies held by the Central Bank are at their
lowest level and companies have to wait longer and
longer. This feeds the foreign currency black
market. The difference between the official rate
and the black market rate of the national currency
is growing, and it reached a bit over 20% in
mid-September.
27 - Schools The French School of Luanda
28 - Guides
- Guide Atlas Jeune Afrique du Continent
Africain.
-
Quid.
29 - Observations
Accomodation and food
Expatriate accomodation is difficult to find,
of bad quality and very expensive.
Foodstuff is getting easier to find.
Security
is extremely bad.
Customs clearance
It takes on average 4 to 5 days if the necessary
documents to clear the goods are given to the
forwarding agent at least 3 days before the ship
arrives.
30
- Useful Addresses Useful addresses in
France
Embassy
of Angola
19 avenue Foch - 75116 Paris
Tel. 01 45 01 58 20 - Fax. 01 45 00 33 71 / 01 45
02 14 39 - Telex EMPARIS 649847F
Consulate of Angola
40 rue Chalgrin - 75116 Paris
Tel. 01 45 01 96 94
UNESCO Angolan delegation
1 rue Miollis - 75015 Paris
Tel. 01 45 67 57 48
Embassy of Angola
122 rue Salvador Allende - 92000 Nanterre
Tel. 01 47 73 61 43
Permanent Angolan delegation at UNESCO
124 Bd Bineau - 92200 Neuilly sur Seine
Tel. 01 47 45 70 08
Useful
addresses in Angola
Hotels
Le Presidente Meridien
5* Luxe
Managed by the Ministry of Commerce of Angola
4 de Fevereiro - BP 5791 - Luanda - Angola
Tel. 244-2/334134 - Tfax. 244-2/331141
Schools
French School of Luanda
35-37 rue Paiva Conceiro - CP 707 - Luanda -
Angola
Tel. (2442) 340 675
(pre-school, primary, secondary 1st and 2nd cycle)
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