A logistics partner of choice in Angola’s energy sector

Angola

João Teiga, CEO of OREYAFRICA, talks to The Energy Year about the company’s recent growth and key energy projects, as well as the main challenges in making the Lobito Corridor a regional logistics hub. OREYAFRICA is a transport and logistics company with comprehensive services in Angola and Mozambique.

In what ways has OREYAFRICA experienced growth over the past year?
Looking back, OREYAFRICA’s last 18 years have been marked by significant growth aligned with our business strategy. It has always been our commitment to maintain sustained growth across our business operations. We planned a considerable expansion in terms of our capabilities in transportation and supply chain logistics. This resulted in several investments in our asset base, in terms of both equipment and fixed assets, such as warehouses.
Today, we are proud to be the largest over-dimensional transportation company in Angola. This refers to the non-standard cargo that exceeds the conventional transportation limits. It mainly includes large industrial equipment and heavy machinery, essentially all those special transports for large-dimensional equipment.
We specialise in transport engineering for industrial projects, and the focus on heavy-lift and over-dimensional cargoes has proven to be essential for some of these large energy projects.
2024 was a good year for our activities, contrary to the recent trend seen in the country. This is particularly relevant to the energy industry. We have seen that companies operating in the industry are not shying away from investing in the country, and that is a good thing. For OREYAFRICA, despite the challenges, we have also expanded our portfolio of projects. We retained existing projects and, to some extent, our participation has increased.
Overall, it has been a period of growth for the company. We have different areas of the business, and we have experienced growth differently in each of them. On the logistics and supply chain side, I can proudly say that it was the best year so far. That is mainly due to the fact that we have new warehouses and the operational capabilities to reach out to new customers.
Looking at our current operations, we are currently at 120% capacity, and we are working towards further expanding with new cold storage to cater to the excess demand.

What is your involvement with the energy industry and what key projects are you working on?
OREYAFRICA has a history of working closely with companies operating in the energy industry. The Laúca Dam Project was one of the first projects that kick-started our journey in assisting in the revitalisation of Angola’s energy infrastructure. Our continuous collaboration with energy companies is a testament to our commitment to being the partner of choice for transportation and logistics services.
Looking ahead, we are getting ready to be involved with the Caculo-Cabaça Hydropower Project, a dam being constructed on the Kwanza River with a production capacity similar to the Laúca Dam.
OREYAFRICA will be the project’s logistics partner, operating as the sole contractor. We will be providing the logistics and the over-dimensional transportation services for the project. This shows that OREYAFRICA has the capability and the know-how to assist energy projects regardless of size.
It is central to our business strategy that we continue to engage with new opportunities in the renewable energy sector. Therefore, we are also engaging with solar power projects. We are working alongside contractors for the construction of the Luena Solar Park.
OREYAFRICA is providing logistics, clearance and transportation, as well as the deployment of solar cells and the transportation of the solar power panels. This extremely sensitive transport requires a thoughtful mode of transportation and careful planning. With our experience and capacity, we intend to continue working towards further expanding our presence in the renewable energy market.

What do you see as some of the challenges in the development of the Lobito Corridor as a logistics hub?
There are several challenges in the development of the Lobito Corridor as a logistics hub. This is particularly pertinent when it comes to the interconnectivity of the Port of Lobito. There are infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks that have to be taken into account.
One of the biggest challenges is the current limited throughput of the port: Lobito struggles with visiting vessels having no direct call services to the Far East and a lack of regularity for other markets. On top of that, it also struggles with a lack of available containers to meet the growing demand.
Lobito receives about 12% of Angola’s imports, while Luanda receives about 83% of imports. It is difficult to increase the trade of copper and other minerals with the limited number of containers available at the port.
Regardless of the high interest the country is receiving due to the corridor, one should be aware of the strategic limitations which will no doubt affect Lobito’s competitiveness compared to other corridors such as Beira in Mozambique or Walvis Bay in Namibia.

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