Occasional Paper

Understanding the Angolan FDI Regulatory Landscape

“This paper explores the regulatory framework for foreign direct investment
(FDi) in Angola, with the objective of broadening understanding of the barriers
to foreign investment in the country. The regulatory environment in Angola
is unpredictable, and foreign investors experience high levels of inefficiency
in the execution of the various investment policies. As a result, and coupled
with the lack of transport infrastructure, corruption and bureaucracy, Angola
is viewed as one of the least hospitable places to do business. This has
severely hindered foreign investment outside of the oil and mineral sectors.
in the wake of the global downturn in oil prices, the Angolan government
desperately needs foreign investment to promote diversification of the
economy and broad-based development. In order to attract investors it needs
to undertake serious institutional reforms to improve investors’ perceptions of
the country’s business environment, particularly with respect to transparency,
fiscal management and the rule of law.”