Angola receives $653 million for modernization of the Lobito Corridor line

Angola forecasts a record Value Added Tax (VAT) refund amounting to 285 million kwanzas for the current year. The chairman of the AGT board declared this forecast during his participation in the Conversations without Masks, an event held in Luanda and organized by journalist Carlos Rosado de Carvalho.

VAT Refund Performance

In the period between January and June, the AGT made refunds to companies totaling 191 billion kwanzas, equivalent to 181 million euros. This amount is lower than that recorded in 2025, which was considered the best year to date, with total refunds of 200 billion kwanzas (190 million euros), according to data presented by the official.

Since VAT came into effect in Angola in October 2019, the total amount refunded has reached 717.4 billion kwanzas, corresponding to 681 million euros, according to the same reports.

Improvements and Electronic Invoicing

José Leiria explained that the improvement in refunds is due to the refinement of verification mechanisms and the increase in tax compliance by companies. The expected acceleration for this year is attributed to the implementation of electronic invoicing, which allows taxpayers to validate their suppliers' invoices directly on the Taxpayer Portal immediately after submission, eliminating the wait for the invoicing software file to be sent.

Leiria also warned that all taxpayers will be obliged to issue electronic invoices starting from January 1, 2027, emphasizing that this deadline will not be postponed. After this date, the submission of the SAF-T file will cease, and the AGT will exclusively accept electronic invoices, granting taxpayers a six-month period to adjust their procedures.

Adoption of Digital Invoicing

Currently, electronic invoicing has 58,530 adopters, comprising 633 large taxpayers and 58,091 other taxpayers, distributed across 21,335 companies and 37,195 individuals. Up to June, the AGT processed 63.4 million electronic invoices, totaling an electronically invoiced turnover of 69.31 billion kwanzas (65.8 billion euros).

Composition of Tax Revenue

Additionally, José Leiria informed that VAT represented 25% of the total revenue collected in 2025. The next most important taxes were Industrial Tax, Income Tax (IRT), and Capital Application Tax. Customs duties contributed 7%, and Special Consumption Tax contributed 5%, while other taxes accounted for 13%.

Aristófanes Pontes, speaking to the press during the IV Sustainability Conference, held at the Bank under the theme 'Sustainable Financing in Angola: From Strategy to Implementation with Inclusive Impact,' organized by the Angolan Banking Association (Abanc), presented an analysis of the country's expenditures.

Assessment of biodiversity investments

According to Pontes, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) evaluated the resources applied to biodiversity conservation over the last ten years and concluded that the budgetary investment made is not sufficiently robust. He highlighted that, upon examining the General State Budget (OGE), it is difficult to find strictly dedicated items for biodiversity, making it easier to identify general environmental areas and related programs, such as environmental education and biodiversity conservation itself.

Need for greater financial support

The analyst advocated for the importance of pressuring the Government to increase funds allocated to the environmental sector, aiming to meet the international commitments assumed by the country. Pontes noted that the UNDP observed that most of the amounts made available during this period came from the General State Budget, and now intends to investigate the contribution of the private sector as well.

He mentioned that although there is awareness that private participation is limited, existing efforts are more focused on projects financed by external or international capital. The UNDP specialist underlined the urgency of conducting a comprehensive survey on the current state of biodiversity, identifying areas for improvement and mapping various potential funding sources, in order to develop a clear document and ensure the correct application of these resources.

Action plan and challenges

Currently, the UNDP is conducting a detailed evaluation of existing biodiversity legislation, checking its condition, the sectors involved, the benefits, and the expenses incurred, in addition to pointing out gaps and future actions. This report is expected to be finalized in 2027, with the goal of defining the country's resource needs for biodiversity until 2030. Aristófanes Pontes emphasized that many regions require funding, given that a large part of the conservation areas lacks effective management due to resource scarcity.

Institutional efforts for sustainability

For his part, Mário Nascimento, president of Abanc, acknowledged that challenges remain in achieving sustainable financing, which requires a collaborative effort between the central bank and the Angolan government. Nascimento reported that an institutional team led by the Ministry of Finance has been established, also including the Ministry of Planning and the National Bank of Angola, to structure sustainable financing based on six axes. Abanc will contribute to this discussion by helping to identify technical restrictions within the regulatory framework and in mobilizing financial resources.