Angola has the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa and a population of around 24 million. And if you’re unsure whereabouts Angola sits in Africa, it’s here…
Angola is the region’s second largest producer of oil but forecasts predict it will be the number one producer of oil in sub-Saharan Africa within five years.
Though while oil and gas are mainstays of the Angolan economy, the government is looking to diversify and so exporting to Angola could provide a good opportunity for UK businesses.
The fastest growing sectors in Angola are oil and gas, agriculture, construction and infrastructure, and the top 10 UK exports to Angola are:
- general industrial machinery
- electrical machinery
- iron and steel
- specialised machinery
- metal
- chemical materials and products
- rubber
- organic chemicals
- beverages
- dairy products
So if you’re looking to do business in Angola, here’s how to set up an international conference call in just a few simple steps…
The pros and cons of exporting to Angola
Goods exports to Angola from the UK increased by more than a third (36.5%) in 2013, up to £548 million from £401 million, so it’s no surprise the UK is one of the largest investors in the African nation.
In 2013, Angola became one of just five countries across Africa to agree a High Level Prosperity Partnership with the UK, and this is now beginning to develop a strong relationship in trade between the two countries.
The strengths of the Angolan market include:
- the economy has had an average double-digit growth since 1990
- a growing middle class
- a young population (50% under 21) who are eager to learn
- abundant natural resources
While the advantages to UK countries exporting to Angola are:
- UK companies are respected and liked
- Angola is focusing on diversification, which opens up many opportunities
- Angola is one of only five countries in the High Level Prosperity Partnership with the UK
It’s not without it’s challenges though, notably:
- poor power supply nationwide
- weak infrastructures across most sectors
- government bureaucracy when awarding and paying for contracts
- corruption
- high unemployment
- lack of skills amongst the populace
Setting up the call
The first thing to do is to visit ConferenceCall.co.uk to get your free, unique PIN and then click on the ‘Invite Participants’ tab to generate an email template. Type in the time, date and subject of the conference call, before picking UK and Angola dial-in codes and clicking ‘Copy this invitation’.
The next thing to do is paste it into the body of an email and then send it to as many as 100 participants, then wait for your conference call to begin.
Dial-in numbers to call
At the specified time participants need to dial the following numbers before entering the PIN:
– UK participants dial 0843 0 250 250
– Angola participants dial 227-280330
Your conference call can now begin!
Time to call
Despite sitting around 4,500 miles south of London, the time zone is GMT +1 and GMT during the UK summer – this means you can safely make calls in UK business hours without getting anyone out of hours.
