Catarino Pereira, Chairman of ARCCLA – «The ARCCLA positions Angola as a regional logistics hub […]»

With the growing need to integrate infrastructure, streamline processes and attract investment, logistics is emerging as a strategic cornerstone of Angola’s economic development. In this interview, Catarino Pereira, chairman of the ARCCLA, explains the role of the agency in organising the sector, the impact of digitalisation and the Janela Única Logística (Single Window for Logistics), and the opportunities that establish Angola as a modern and competitive regional logistics hub.

The ARCCLA now plays a central role in the organisation of Angola’s logistics sector. What is your assessment of the institution’s impact on structuring and modernising the national logistics chain?
The ARCCLA, established by Presidential Decree No. 326/20 of 29 December, came into being to tackle the challenges of economic development, ensuring logistics infrastructure, freight transport systems and a robust regulatory environment that would enable the storage and distribution of domestic production. Its efforts have proven instrumental in organizing the sector, through the creation of legal frameworks and regulations that encourage initiatives via public-private partnerships. Highlights include the implementation of the New Legal Framework for Freight Forwarding, the Legal Framework for the National Network of Logistics Platforms (RJ-RNPL) and the Decree establishing the Single Window for Logistics, instruments that have helped to improve the business environment and the sector’s efficiency. Alongside this, the training of professionals, the promotion of good practices and cooperation with stakeholders, within the framework of the RNPL Advisory Board, have enabled the coordination and integration of logistics projects in a coherent manner, prioritising initiatives with the greatest economic and social impact. These measures have also helped to attract international investors and multilateral institutions, as in the case of the Caála Logistics Platform, developed with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the World Bank, which will act as a proof of concept for cold chain logistics and support for the mining sector, thereby contributing to the transport of goods via the Lobito Corridor.

Where does ARCCLA place Angola within the context of multimodal integration and logistics hubs for Africa and the world?
The ARCCLA places Angola as a regional logistics hub through the regulation, supervision and monitoring of logistics activities, thereby promoting efficiency and organisation. It also supports strategic corridors such as the Lobito Corridor and stimulates the National Network of Logistics Hubs (RNPL). Priority has been given to hubs such as Caála and Luau (Lobito Corridor), Arimba (Namibe), Lombe (Malanje) and the hubs at Soyo, Luvo, Yema and Massabi in the North, on account of their strategic location and regional and international reach. Their implementation encourages multimodal integration (road, rail, ports and airports), improving connectivity and strengthening Angola’s role in regional and global trade.

«The Single Window for Logistics represents a structural change, transforming logistics into an integrated, intelligent and trackable ecosystem.»

What are the tangible benefits of digitalisation and the Janela Única Logística (JUL – Single Window for Logistics) in terms of efficiency, transparency and competitiveness?
The Single Window for Logistics represents a structural change, transforming logistics into an integrated, intelligent and trackable ecosystem. In terms of efficiency, it reduces the use of duplicated forms, the physical delivery of documents, contact with bureaucracy and waiting times, speeding up licensing, customs clearance, certification and cargo monitoring. Benefits include reduced processing times, shorter dwell times at ports, greater predictability, cost reductions and improved use of infrastructure. In terms of transparency, each operation generates a verifiable digital footprint, ensuring procedural, institutional, regulatory and audit transparency. This reduces hidden errors, improper manipulation and information asymmetries, increasing the confidence of operators and the credibility of the state. In terms of competitiveness, JUL reduces operational costs, speeds up flows, improves predictability and facilitates foreign trade, bringing the country into line with international standards. Overall, it encourages integration between entities, greater trackability, improved control, data-driven decision-making and greater attractiveness for investment.

What opportunities exist for investors in the Angolan logistics sector and what is the role of the ARCCLA?
The Angolan logistics sector offers opportunities in transport, storage, construction and the management of logistics hubs and dry ports. The ARCCLA helps to build trust and attractiveness by ensuring a clear regulatory framework, supervising the sector and promoting multi-sectoral institutional coordination. By encouraging public-private partnerships and structuring greenfield and brownfield concessions, it mobilises financing and funnels public investment into infrastructure projects, thereby reducing risks and uncertainties. By doing so, the ARCCLA stimulates private investment and strengthens the credibility of the national logistics sector.

«[…] the ARCCLA stimulates private investment and strengthens the credibility of the national logistics sector.»

Text: Editorial team 
Photos: Edson Azevedo