The Angolan President said today that Angola gathers unique conditions to assert itself as one of Africa’s most promising tourist destinations, announced strong investment in infrastructure to boost the sector’s growth, and called for foreign investment.
João Lourenço, who was speaking at the opening of the Angola Investment Summit 2026, which began today in Luanda, stated that for Angola, tourism is a “consolidated ambition” built over years of structural reforms, openness to investment, and a consistent bet on economic diversification.
“We determinedly decided to reduce our dependence on the oil sector and build an economy based on sectors with a high multiplier effect, which create jobs, wealth, added value, and value local communities,” he said.
According to João Lourenço, Angola “presents itself to the world today as a country of stability, vision, and great investment opportunities.”
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During his opening speech at the forum, which runs until Friday in partnership with the Global Tourism Forum Institute (GTFI), the Angolan head of state highlighted the country’s tourism potential, featuring an Atlantic coastline of over 1,600 kilometers and natural parks and reserves of high ecological value.
The country’s biodiversity, rivers, lakes, historical-cultural heritage, and gastronomy were also praised by João Lourenço, for whom Angola gathers unique conditions to assert itself as one of the most promising tourist destinations in Africa.
“For this reason, the Republic of Angola is betting heavily on investing in the creation of the necessary infrastructure to boost the sector’s growth in important areas of the country,” he assured.
João Lourenço listed the operational start of the new António Agostinho Neto International Airport, the development of the Lobito Corridor, the future Luanda Convention Palace—to be inaugurated soon—and the expansion of energy, telecommunications, road, and railway infrastructure as key development factors.
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This infrastructure, he argued, completes the framework of a country that is building, “in a serious and responsible manner, the foundations of its economic future.”
The Angolan head of state, speaking before an audience of over a thousand participants including government officials, investors, politicians, and national and foreign tour operators, added that the country is implementing a broad program of reforms.
He highlighted the simplification of administrative and bureaucratic procedures, the reinforcement of legal certainty, and other decisive steps taken to create favorable conditions for private sector participation and the “enhancement of the country’s enormous tourism potential.”
“We want the growth of tourism to contribute to improving the quality of life of our citizens, strengthening local economies, and promoting balanced development (…). The Angolan State will continue to commit itself to transforming this ambition into reality,” he declared.
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Lourenço guaranteed, on the other hand, that Angola will continue to work actively with regional member states, the African Union, and its international partners to promote an agenda of mobility, connectivity, and regional tourism development.
He further assured that Angola is open to foreign investment, innovation, knowledge transfer, and partnerships that generate mutual benefits.
