Angola’s Opaia Group has opened a vehicle assembly plant in Luanda, marking the return of domestic vehicle production as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on imports and strengthen local manufacturing.
According to Reuters, the privately owned and diversified group, which is headquartered in Luanda and has focused largely on infrastructure projects, launched the facility on Tuesday through its new subsidiary, Opaia Motors.
According to a statement released by the company on Wednesday, the assembly plant has an installed capacity to produce up to 22,000 light vehicles and 1,000 buses annually.
“The facility is the only operational vehicle assembly plant in Angola and is a significant step in establishing the country’s burgeoning automotive manufacturing industry,” Opaia said.
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A vehicle manufacturing plant funded by China had been set up in Angola more than ten years ago but later stopped operations as economic conditions changed. Opaia subsequently acquired the assets of that facility.
The company said it will import white-label vehicles for assembly at the plant and sell them under the Opaia Motors brand, according to an emailed response to Reuters.
Buses will be supplied by Volvo (VOLVb.ST) and imported from Sweden, while passenger vehicles will come from China, where Opaia Motors has partnerships with Chery (9973.HK) and Dongfeng Motor (0489.HK).
In addition to cutting dependence on imported vehicles and opening the door to potential exports in the future, Opaia said it also plans to introduce electric vehicle production, though it did not provide a timeline for when this would begin.
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Image Credit: Reuters
