Kapanda wrote:Rei, thanks a bunch for that.
And feel free to comment under my article.
This article is not meant to be a complete thesis on Angola infrastructure. But your points provide research points for the next article. The Chinese point you made would never have come to mind.
The same on the kind of things being transported. That's beyond the scope of the article, as that speaks about the commercial activity in Luanda. Similarly, the labour force quality. Though that will likely be covered in a future article covering aspects of the country's macroeconomy.
There will be a series of articles - short-ish- to be published. You should note a cohesion among them. But it's impossible to show that with only about two articles, spaced months apart.
I updated the article with a brief explanation of the Trans-Cunene corridor.
Sounds good to me, then. Also, note that since 2011, Japan is also involved with Angola as well. So in a sense, China and Japan have already done lots of your research for you, you'd just have to get the rationale of those two countries and see what they've said.
For example, quoting METI:
Agreement in principle on Japan-Angola Investment Treaty wrote:The governments of Japan and Angola confirmed today that they had reached agreement framework on a Japan-Angola investment treaty. The two countries also agreed to cooperate to reach accord on remaining issues in order to conclude the treaty at an early date.
- 1. The Japan-Angola investment treaty will be Japan’s first investment treaty with a sub-Sahara African country. Two rounds of negotiations since their start in April last year resulted in agreement in principle on the majority of the investment treaty. Both parties will cooperate to reach accord on the remaining issues in order to conclude the treaty at an early date.
- 2. The investment treaty is an international covenant that will protect Japanese enterprises investing overseas, as well as the properties in which they invest and thereby improve the investment environment. The Japanese government promotes the conclusion of investment treaties with other countries so that Japanese enterprises can feel more secure in making investments overseas. An investment treaty usually includes provisions concerning national treatment (a principle that requires the recipient country to give others the same treatment as its own nationals), freedom of remittance, procedures to settle potential disputes and so forth.
- 3. Besides being one of the biggest crude oil producers in Sub-Sahara Africa, Angola is blessed with a wealth of natural resource. The country has received increasing amounts of foreign direct investment since the civil war ended in 2002.
- 4. Once concluded, the treaty is expected to result in more investment by Japanese enterprises, strengthened economic relations between Japan and Angola, closer economic relations between Japan and sub-Sahara African countries and increased development of Angola’s economy.
(Reference 1) Investment treaty context
To date, Japan has signed (implemented) 15 investment treaties (or 25 treaties, including the investment chapters in bilateral EPAs).
(Reference 2) Course of negotiations
November 2009: A mission dispatched to give an explanation of the investment treaty
April 2010: First round of negotiations (in Angola)
February 2011: Second round of negotiations (in Angola)
(Reference 3) Importance of Angola
- Besides being the largest oil-producing country in the sub-Sahara African region, Angola is abundant in natural resources, including minerals (e.g., diamonds, iron ore). Given its remarkable economic growth in recent years and large need for infrastructure development, Angola has the potential to become Japan’s major supplier of resources and an export destination of Japanese infrastructure systems and plants.
Also, MOFA says this:
Japan-Angola Relations (Basic Data) wrote:In 2007, Nippon Keidanren dispatched a study mission which is composed by 50 members from trading company, manufacturer, financial institution and ministries in order to examine situation of Angolan economy and resources, to exchange views with Angolan government and to study demining activities.
It's probably possible to find the detailed results of that study.
And Kyodo News said this:
Bi-Laterals.org, 'Japan, Angola strike basic accord on investment treaty' 22 Feb 2011 wrote:TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan and Angola struck a basic agreement Monday on a bilateral investment treaty, which is designed to facilitate Japanese firms’ foray into the resource-rich African country that is seeing rapid economic growth following the end of a civil war in 2002.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and his Angolan counterpart Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti endorsed the broad accord and agreed to work toward an early conclusion of bilateral negotiations. Angola will be the first sub-Saharan African country to seal an investment pact with Japan, Japanese officials said.
Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp., construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd., trading house Sojitz Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. have dispatched employees to Angola, which is rich in resources including oil, diamonds and rare earth minerals.
The officials said Japan is eager to strengthen its economic ties with Angola, which now serves as a major oil provider to China.
Following a meeting with the Angolan foreign minister, Maehara also signed documents on Japanese grant aid worth 383 million yen for vaccination against polio through the U.N. Children’s Fund.
The aid will be used to immunize some 5.76 million children under 5 years old in 2011 in Angola, where an epidemic has continued since 2005, the officials said.
So that gives an idea of what they are looking for, just it needs to have some numbers put next to it.
Kapanda wrote:You know show that Angola is a place peaceful enough for a tourist or investor to visit like Kenya.
Kapanda wrote:Noted.
If you do any pictures, just try to show the
symptoms of good governance, don't go photographing right up in a police officer's face just to prove that police exist, otherwise that looks suspicious to an investor in and of itself.
Take photographs of people driving to work early in the morning on an overcast day in a city. And photos late in the evening of construction workers clocking out or something. And traffic wardens looking at parked cars, maybe.
But don't make it look like you have to
directly prove that social order exists. Being too obvious about it would have the opposite effect than what you want. For example, the
worst possible picture to take would be a picture of police standing and grinning at your camera in the open sun, sweating at midday, with the light of the sun reflecting off their foreheads.