SU24-cover 2:Layout 1 26/11/09 17:59 Page 1 SONANGOL UNIVERSO Universo Animal Rescue DECEMBER 2009 Saving the palanca negra The Wire Subsea cables for Africa Viva Angola! The country gears up for the Africa Cup of ISSUE 24 – DECEMBER 2009 Nations, which kicks off in Luanda in January Extra with this issue: INSIDE: Opec conference welcome supplement oil and gas news SU24.contents.pp2-3:SU23 17/11/09 12:21 Page 2 CONTENTS 20 16 32 Universo is the international magazine of Sonangol Board Members Manuel Vicente (President), Anabela Fonseca, Mateus de Brito, Fernando Roberto, Francisco de Lemos Sonangol Department for Communication & Image Director João Rosa Santos Corporate Communications Assistants Letter from the editor Nadiejda Santos, Lúcio Santos, Cristina Novaes, José Mota, ver the next two months, two im- Beatriz Silva, Paula Almeida, portant events will be taking place Sandra Teixeira, Marta Sousa in Angola. The first is the meeting O Richard Estas of the Organization of the Petroleum Ex- Publisher porting Countries (Opec), which is having Getty Images 28 46 Sheila O’Callaghan its end-of-year summit in Luanda. Angola Editor has held the presidency of Opec this year 24 Alex Bellos for the first time and the meeting marks Art Director the end of its term in office. David Gould The event will unite the oil ministers Sub Editor of the 12 member countries and take place Ron Gribble at the Talatona Convention Centre in Advertising Design Luanda Sul. It will be the most important Bernd Wojtczack international assembly ever held in Circulation Manager Angola, and is a sign of the country’s Matthew Alexander increasing presence on the world stage. Project Consultants Less than three weeks later, Angola Kamene M Traça COCAN Nathalie MacCarthy will be hosting the Africa Cup of Nations, a Finbarr O'Reilly / Reuters Peter Gudynas/Zap Art 2008 Mauro Perillo football tournament that unites the 16 top Group President national teams in the continent. Some of 4 Angola news briefing 6 AFRICA CUP OF 28 Underwater John Charles Gasser the best-known sportsmen in the world, US Secretary of State Hillary NATIONS SPECIAL superhighways Sonangol News such as Didier Drogba of Chelsea and the Clinton visits Luanda; South The race to build three fibre-optic Universo is produced by Impact Media REPORT Custom Publishing. The views expressed in Ivory Coast and Samuel Eto’o of Inter- African President Jacob Zuma A 22-page guide to the CAN cables between Europe and West 38 Sonangol the publication are not necessarily those of nazionale and Cameroon, will be taking comes to Angola for his first state Africa news briefing Sonangol or the publishers. Reproduction in part. visit since taking power; The 8 50,000 fans will roar whole or in part without prior permission is We are devoting almost half of this Simpsons cartoon characters from the terraces 32 Back from the dead 40 Natural gas prohibited. issue of Universo to the tournament, have an Angolan makeover to Four new stadiums arise An amazing project to save the rare Soyo’s LNG project is on This magazine is distributed to a closed known as the CAN, since the event is more advertise a Portuguese satellite giant sable from extinction schedule for 2012 circulation. To receive a free copy: than just about sport and nationhood. channel; Angola’s first Interna- 14 Political footballer [email protected] Angola has constructed four new stadiums tional Jazz Festival draws big Interview with Akwá 44 Jungle man Circulation: 17,000 for the games, as well as building hotels crowds; the first tourist guide to He talks to the animals and improving infrastructure for the fans Angola is launched; a new 16 Yes we CAN! and the teams. The CAN provides an op- suspension bridge over the Angola’s chance to win the Cup 46 Sugar power portunity for the country to demonstrate Catumbela River opens; the IMF Sonangol is investing in sugar its increasing confidence and stature, both is in the final stages of approving 20 Golden history cane to make ethanol 6 Snow Hill, within Africa and as a member of the a package for Angola A brief history of the CAN London EC1A 2AY Tel + 44 20 7002 7778 global community. 50 The Big Picture Fax +44 20 7002 7779 5 Figured out 24 Host cities A survey of Angola’s [email protected] A snapshot of Angola in Snapshots of Luanda, Benguela, mountains numbers Lubango and Cabinda Cover: Nicolas Randall Pedro Vaz Pinto 2 SONANGOL UNIVERSO DECEMBER 2009 3 SU24.Angola News.pp4-5:SU23 17/11/09 12:14 Page 4 Figured Angola news briefing out Up and over A new suspension bridge over the Hillary in Luanda Catumbela River has been opened at the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped centre of the Benguela-Lobito express- off in Angola on a seven-nation tour of Africa. 102.2m way, reducing traffic congestion consider- During her 48-hour visit she met President height of 24-floor Escom Building ably. The modern white 438m (1437ft) Dos Santos, held talks with a number of top in Luanda, now Angola’s tallest structure was built by Mota-Engil and Angolan ministers, addressed the National skyscraper officially inaugurated by President José Assembly and visited an Aids clinic to Eduardo dos Santos in September. There announce an increase in US funding. Speak- are two traffic lanes on each side with ing to MPs in the National Assembly, Mrs Clin- wide pedestrian paths set back from the ton said the US wanted to be Angola’s $2.5 million vehicles by guardrails. “partner, friend and ally”. cost of fitting out the interior of the STR/Reuters/Corbis new Talatona Convention Centre IMF deal close Hotel in Luanda Sul Angola and the International Monetary Fund are in the final stages of calculat- ing a financing programme to help Angola weather the global economic crisis. A fall in the price of oil has dented Angola’s interna- tional reserves putting pressure on liquidity and exchanges. Economy Minister Manuel Nunes Junior said: “This is a very important 19number of new post offices to be built moment for the government of Angola. We around Angola to help relaunch the are on the way to securing one more impor- country’s postal system ALADINO JASSE/epa/Corbis tant victory for the country and for the Historic friends Angolan people.” South African President Jacob Zuma came to Angola for his first state visit since taking Have a nice trip! $2 billion power – a move which underlines a new The first tourist guide dedicated to Kamene M Traça launch budget for the Soyo Industrial chapter in the relationship between the two Angola has been launched. The Park in Zaire province countries following some years of distance. 256-page Bradt Guide to Angola contains Ay, caramba! During the two-day visit, a number of bilateral information on hotels, restaurants, The Simpsons cartoon characters have agreements were signed, covering trade and transport options and places to see as had an Angolan makeover: Homer, Marge, industry, air services, sports, development of well as 27 maps to help visitors get Lisa, Maggie and Bart are shown here as human settlement and diplomatic consulta- around. With over 1,000km of unspoilt they might look if they lived in Angola, tions, and more than 150 South African busi- beaches, excellent fishing and surfing, complete with braided hair, African- nesses took part in a forum exploring trade tropical forests and magnificent bird life, patterned clothes and flip-flops. Unfortu- and investment opportunities. President Dos there is no shortage of things to see and nately, there is not going to be a full Santos hailed the visit as a “new era in bilat- do in Angola. Angolan version of the hit cartoon. The eral relations” between the two countries and 6.2 makeover image was created by Luanda- President Zuma said the new trade partner- Jazz time per cent based agency Executive Centre to ships would “change the economic landscape advertise the arrival of The Simpsons on of Southern Africa”. As well as talks on trade, Angola hosted its first International forecast for growth of Angolan the Portuguese package of satellite televi- the two presidents also discussed the supply Jazz Festival, drawing crowds of economy in 2009 sion provider DSTV. and distribution of electricity from the Demo- thousands to Cine Atlântico in Luanda. The cratic Republic of Congo’s Inga hydroelectric three-day event saw musicians from Angola sharing the stage with singers and perform- plant and a partnership between Angolan teams in the Africa Cup ers from South Africa, the United States, state-oil company Sonangol and South of Nations Mozambique and Brazil. 16 Africa’s PetroSA for refining oil. 4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO DECEMBER 2009 5 SU24.CAN open.pp6-13:SU24 17/11/09 12:18 Page 6 CUP FEVERIn January the eyes of the world will be on Angola when it hosts the Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s most important football tournament. In the following pages we show how the country is getting ready for what will be the largest event ever held on Angolan soil. We interview Akwá, the most famous footballer in the country’s history, and assess the chances that the national team will triumph here. And finally, we give a history of the Cup, more commonly known as the CAN, since it was founded in 1957.➔ Wolfgang Rattay 6 SONANGOL UNIVERSO DECEMBER 2009 7 SU24.CAN open.pp6-13:SU24 17/11/09 12:18 Page 8 CUP OF NATIONS Night game: Luanda’s new stadium 50,000 fans will roar from the terraces With more than a billion dollars spent on stadiums and infrastructure, the kick-off will kick-start the tourism industry adio announcers, giant clocks by Located in Camama, around 17km from the side of the road and newspaper central Luanda and 10km from Luanda Radverts – everyone and everything Sul, the stadium is linked to the suburb of is counting down to January 10, when the Benfica by a new road.