Luanda, April 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The president of Angola authorised emergency infrastructure works worth 3.56 billion kwanzas (€3.38 million) to provide electricity and water to the locations where the Pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass during his upcoming visit.

The presidential order, which Lusa saw on Tuesday, reportedly provided for an emergency procurement procedure, a measure reserved for urgent situations that bypasses standard public procurement protocols. 

This procedure is intended for three separate contracts at the specific locations where Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Mass: the Bairro do Laboratório da Água in Saurimo, Lunda Sul province; the Bairro Coxe in Muxima, Icolo e Bengo province; and the residential blocks adjacent to the new Burns Hospital in Kilamba, Luanda.

The total investment is divided into three main contracts. Approximately 2.21 billion kwanzas (€2.1 million) are allocated for reinforcing and expanding the power grid, while 889.9 million kwanzas (€844,000) is earmarked for the water supply systems. 

A further 455.6 million kwanzas (€432,000) is intended for the provision of necessary equipment and materials.

The authority to oversee all these procedures has been delegated to the energy and water minister.

Leo XIV is set to celebrate Mass in Kilamba on 19 April and lead a rosary prayer at the Santuário da Muxima, one of the largest pilgrimage sites in sub-Saharan Africa.

The following day, he is expected to travel to Saurimo to celebrate Mass and visit a care home for the elderly.

Leo XIV is the third Pope to visit Angola, following John Paul II in 1992 and Benedict XVI in 2009. 

This visit is part of a ten-day tour of the African continent, which also includes stops in Algeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

RCR/MYAL // ADB.

Lusa