DP World bets on Maputo team to give training to workers at Luanda port

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DP World bets on Maputo team to give training to workers at Luanda port

4:22 CAT | 26 Jan 2021

Angolan President o João Lourenço (right), receives Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayen, from UAE. [Photo: Francisco Miitão]

DP World, which on Monday signed a concession contract worth more than US$1 billion to operate the port of Luanda, will train its Angolan workforce by promoting exchanges with Mozambique.

“We believe in the training of national teams,” DP World Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa Suhail Al Banna said on the sidelines of the signing of the 20-year concession for the multi-purpose terminal at the port of Luanda.

The Dubai-based multinational’s representative said DP World would send an evaluation team for a maximum of six months to identify the skills required of each worker and design training tailored to individual needs.

“As we are operating in Maputo, Mozambique, and as Portuguese is used in both countries, we are planning to send part of the Luanda team to Maputo, and we will be able to bring some of our staff from Mozambique here,” he said.

According to Suhail Al Banna, the company wants to recruit more Angolans, in addition to those currently working at the port of Luanda, whose jobs will be secured. “In each country, we also have a programme aimed at recruiting young university students and offering training in the workplace for three years, after which they can either join the company or be absorbed by other companies,” he revealed.

Asked whether DP World was planning more investment in Portuguese-speaking Africa, Suhail Al Banna said that the company was always looking for new opportunities.

“We study the markets and, based on the opportunities, we decide if we want to enter a certain country,” he declared.

The concession agreement was signed yesterday in Luanda by Alberto António Bengue, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Port of Luanda, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World

The agreement foresees investment of US$190 million (€157 million) over the concession period, as well as the payment of over US$440 million in 2020 (€363 million).

Total payments over the concession period will amount to more than US$1 billion (€819.2 million), of which US$150 million (€122.8 million) will be paid on the signing of the contract.

On the occasion, Angolan Minister of Transport Ricardo Abreu stressed that maintaining the jobs of workers assigned to the terminal and implementing a training and qualification programme for additional employees was one of the ‘added values’ the agreement brought with it.

Abreu also pointed out that the international tender took place in a rigorous and transparent manner, despite “some voices that arose, questioning the smoothness of the process”.

The Angolan Secretary of State for the Civil, Maritime and Port Aviation Sector, Carlos Antão Borges, reinforced the idea, highlighting the due diligence procedures involved.

“All companies that were invited were subject to prior due diligence. The rules are the same for everyone: there are no shortcuts, there are no easy paths; there is transparency and there is rigour. For those who like it, it is because we are being professional; for those who do not like it, there will be other opportunities, but they will have to do better,” Borges outlined.

“The rules are in place, and from now on, this is how we defend Angolan interests. We are transparent, and we are looking for the best partners to work with in Angola,” he added.

DP World signs 20-year concession agreement with Angola https://t.co/JXB1RMgyXZ pic.twitter.com/2Z7LLpePLo

— UAE Business News (@UAEBusinessNews) January 26, 2021

Dubai Ports World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones.

Source: Lusa