Published in furtherafrica.com
On June 21, the project implemented by the Angolan Government through Presidential Decree no. 161/21, to simplify the proceedings of the public administration (“Projecto Simplifica”), entered into force.
With this new framework, the Angolan Government proceeds with its intent of reforming the State and its proceedings, modernizing and imposing less bureaucracy, simplifying, integrating, and optimizing administrative proceedings, with benefits to its citizens, and namely to the companies and investors.
The measures are foreseen in the Simplification Project and cover many of the Angolan economy’s most important sectors, including Oil & Gas, Electricity, Transports, Real Estate, Visas and Passports, licensing of economic activities, among others.
This project will be in permanent evolution, with the ambitious objective of updating the implemented measures one to two times per year, depending on the level of concretization of the precedent measures.
Among the most notable measures, are the following:
• Elimination of around 120 requirements for multiple proceedings;
• Unification of 13 documents;
• Extension of the validity period of 10 different licenses;
• Integration of 20 proceedings which were performed by different entities;
• Simplification of more than 30 administrative acts;
• Creation of a “single window” for the grant of land rights.
This project also considers other purposes of the Angolan Government, as the efficiency of the administration’s human resources, the digitalization, the mitigation of the departmentalization which may generate confusion, reduce the efficacy and duplicate the public intervention, and the fight against corruption, recognizing that excessive bureaucracy encourages the corruptive phenom.
Some of the acts which were simplified are:
• Habitability Certificate;
• Licensing for the management of wastes;
• Licensing of ships for industrial or semi-industrial fishing;
• Ships Property Certificate;
• Seaman’s Book;
• Licensing for the maritime transport of Oil derivatives.
• Criminal Record;
• Residence Certificate.
Article by Duarte Marques da Cruz
Duarte Marques da Cruz is partner of the Portuguese law firm MC&A, specialized in international business advisory, with a special focus in Lusophone markets. With extensive experience in the Energy sector (Renewables and Oil & Gas) and in International Taxation, he has supported international companies in major upstream, midstream transactions and projects, including in implementing, exploration and development programs. Duarte has also supported international clients in other areas of practice, namely, Mining, Transport & Logistics, Regulatory Compliance and Mergers & Acquisitions in Mozambique, Angola and Portugal.