Imprensa internacional sobre Angola Setembro - Outubro 2004 Comissão Permanente disponibiliza verbas para o desenvolvimento da região sul do país Namibe, 10/11 - O governo angolano vai disponibilizar durante o biénio 2005/2006, 20 milhões de dólares para os programas de melhoramento e aumento de oferta de serviços básicos às populações das províncias do Namibe, Cunene e Kuando Kubango, segundo decisão da Comissão Permanente do Conselho de Ministros, reunida hoje, no Namibe, sob orientação do Presidente da República, José Eduardo dos Santos. A Comissão Permanente tomou conhecimento do processo de recepção de propostas de investidores internacionais que pretendem habilitar-se à concepção de exploração de ferro de Kassinga, (província da Huíla), cujo prazo termina em Dezembro do corrente ano. Ainda segundo o comunicado saído da reunião, tomou-se conhecimento, do ponto de situação da elaboração do Plano Director para o desenvolvimento da Baía dos Tigres, no Namibe. Nesta reunião foi prestada uma informação sobre o memorando respeitante ao processo de reabilitação do Porto do Namibe, cujo montante, segundo estudos do Banco Mundial, estão calculados em cerca de 45 milhões de dólares. A Comissão Permanente tomou ainda conhecimento sobre o combate à desertificação no Namibe, tendo recomendado a criação de uma estrutura designada Unidade Técnica de Execução, com autonomia administrativa, financeira e patrimonial, vinculada ao governo da província e com assistência técnica do Instituto do Desenvolvimento Florestal, encarregue de coordenar o combate à desertificação na província. Dentre outras medidas, propõe-se a captação de fundos internacionais, nomeadamente junto do PNUD (Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento), do Banco Mundial, do Fundo Mundial para o Meio Ambiente e do Fundo Internacional para o Desenvolvimento Agrícola, para financiar o combate à desertificação. INTERVIEW-LNG plant to boost Angola's Soyo oil base. By Zoe Eisenstein and Karen Iley 481 words 28 October 2004 15:52 Reuters News <javascript:NewWindow( 'FIISrcDetails','?from=article&ids=lba');void(0);> English (c) 2004 Reuters Limited SOYO, Angola, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Soyo's Kwanda base, the logistical hub for oil firms operating off northern Angola, is expecting a business boom once much-heralded Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project begins, a senior official said on Thursday. The base, which has seen turnover double in three years with rising oil output, hopes the LNG project will further swell coffers and spur development in the area, where unemployment is a major problem. "Any time there is a new discovery, this leads to new platforms ... and logistical activity as well. This is all bringing business for us," said Guy Moreau, deputy operations manager of Kwanda Ltd, the firm responsible for the complex. A joint venture between Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol and Saipem, part of Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI), Kwanda supports the industry with accommodation, catering, maintenance, port facilities, warehousing and fuel. Helping lift business further will be the $5 billion, five million tonne LNG plant, slated to start production by the end of the decade. While earlier fears that the LNG project would not get off the ground have waned, questions remain on the potential market for Angolan LNG. Nevertheless Moreau said he was confident Kwanda would feel the benefits from the project soon. "I'm quite sure that in the coming year the LNG project will really start to move," Moreau told Reuters. "We'll certainly be involved in one way or another. Definitely at the beginning we'll be handling material coming in by boat. For sure it's good for business because it's such a large project," he added. Sonangol, with 22.8 percent and U.S. firm ChevronTexaco (CVX.N) with 36.4 percent, co- lead the LNG project. The other oil majors BP (BP.L) of Britain, France's Total (TOTF.PA) and U.S. giant ExxonMobil (XOM.N) each have a 13.6 percent interest. Industry sources say a final engineering study is likely to start soon and that Bechtel and Kellog, Brown and Root (HAL.N) are possible candidates to carry it out. Moreau said planning for the project was gathering pace. "We have been told to expect the arrival of 70 people at the beginning of next year followed by another 300 to do the first soundings, the fencing of the area, that kind of work. I think the project is really on the rails," he said. Kwanda Limited, which employs 300 local and 26 expatriate staff, counts Esso, Petromar, Halliburton, Total and Sonangol among its biggest clients. Britain's BP is expected to join the ranks by the middle of next year. The area offshore Soyo includes several producing blocks and its output is expected to overtake that of Cabinda, served by the ChevronTexaco run Malongo terminal, perhaps by next year. Document LBA0000020041028e0as006hm More Like This <javascript:moreLikeThis('LBA0000020041028e0as006hm',document.mltInfo, 'true')> ANGOLA GOVERNMENT LIST (UPDATED OCT 26 2004) President, Head of State..............Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS - - - - - - - UNITY AND NATIONAL RECONCILIATION GOVERNMENT (Reshuffled October 2004) Prime Minister............Fernando da Piedade Dias DOS SANTOS Deputy Prime Minister.........................Aguinaldo JAIME - - - - - - - MINISTERS: Agriculture & Rural Development........Gilberto Buta LUTUKUTA Administration, Employment & Social Affairs......Pitra NETO Commerce.............................Joaquim Icuma MUAFUMA Culture....................................Boaventura CARDOSO Defence..........................................Kundy PAIAMA Education.............................Antonio Burity DA SILVA Energy & Water Affairs............Jose Botelho de VASCONCELOS Finance..................................Jose Pedro DE MORAIS Fisheries...........................Salomao Luheto XIRIMBIMBI Foreign Affairs......................Joao Bernardo DE MIRANDA Geology & Mines.......................Manuel Antonio AFRICANO Health...............Albertina Julia Naove Henrique HAMUKWAYA Industry.......................Joaquim Duarte da Costa DAVID Information...........................Pedro Hendrik Vaal NETO Interior.....................Osvaldo de Jesus Serra VAN-DUNEM Justice.......................................Paulo TJIPILICA Petroleum................Desiderio Dagraca Verissimo DA COSTA Planning....................................Ana Dias LOURENCO Post & Telecommunications.............Licinio Tavares RIBEIRO Public Works........................Francisco Higino CARNEIRO Science & Technology.................Joao Baptista NGANDAGINA Social Reintegration & Assistance..............Joao Baptista KUSSUMWA Territorial Administration...........Virgilio Ferreira de Fontes PEREIRA Tourism........................................Jorge VALENTIM Transport..................................Andre Luis BRANDAO Urbanism and Environment.....Diekumpuna Sica JOSE War Veterans.............................Pedro Jose VAN DUNEM Women's Affairs......................Candida Celeste DA SILVA Youth & Sport.............................Jose Marcos BARRICA - - - - - - - Presidential Advisors Legal Affairs - Carlos TEIXEIRA Diplomatic Affairs - Carlos SARAIVA Economic Affairs - Archer MANGUEIRA Special Presidential Advisors (very powerful) Head of 'Military House' (Casa Militar) - Helder Vieira Dias, known by his nom de guerre “Kopelipa” Head of 'Civil House' (Casa Civil) - Carlos Feijo General Secretary to Presidency - Adelino PEIXOTO Secretary of Council of Ministers (cabinet secretary) - Antonio Pereira VAN DUNEM General Director of External Security - Fernando Garcia MIALA Attorney General.............................. Augusto CARNEIRO Coordinator of administrative management of Luanda (there is no longer a governer of Luanda)....................... Job CAPAPINHA - - - - - - - Central Bank Governor.........................Amadeu MAURICIO Angola's Sonangol makes first solo oil discovery. 301 words 1 November 2004 13:35 Reuters News English (c) 2004 Reuters Limited LUANDA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Angola's state oil company Sonangol has discovered oil at its offshore block 4, the first well it has ever drilled without foreign partners, industry sources and state media said on Monday. "This is great news for Sonangol because it's the first time they have done it entirely on their own. They carried out all the studies and all the preliminary work and the drilling," a senior industry expert told Reuters. "Everyone was worried that they might not find oil but they have," the source added. The discovery is situated in 711 metres of water in the western part of Block 4, for which no commercial concession is currently in force, although the oil ministry granted Sonangol permission to drill on the block. The state Jornal de Angola reported on Monday that drilling had revealed two reservoirs that Sonangol believed could be commercially viable. The firm would analyse the field's prospects and was already negotiating a new oil concession for its development, the paper added. Sonangol was not immediately available for comment. Industry sources said the discovery had yielded heavy oil and that it was unlikely to be commercially viable on its own but added that it could be tied up with future discoveries. "Near this discovery there is another prospect that Sonangol will try to drill next year," one senior source told Reuters. "If they also find oil there, the two perhaps can be put on development together," the source said, adding that conservative estimates put total reserves on the new discovery at around 50 million