Luanda, July 1, 2026 (Lusa) — Togo became Angola’s main importing partner in May, with imports soaring from three to 265 billion kwanzas (€254 million), whilst Portugal slipped to fourth place, according to official statistics.

According to the May 2026 Foreign Trade Statistics, published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), Togo accounted for 16.65% of Angola’s total imports, overtaking China, which ranked second with 16.38%.

Togo has historically served as the main point of entry for African imports into Angola.

Saudi Arabia also recorded a significant rise in Angolan imported goods, rising from 1,669 billion kwanzas in May 2025 to 109 billion kwanzas (€105 million) in May 2026, positioning itself as the fifth-largest import partner, accounting for 6.85% of the total.

Portugal dropped to fourth place, accounting for 7.23% of the total and 115 billion kwanzas (€111 million), overtaken by the Netherlands, which rose to third place with 8.31%.

The rise in imports from Togo and Saudi Arabia coincides with strong growth recorded in the ‘Oil, Fuels and Gas (Refined)’ category, which accounted for 37.6% of Angolan imports in May, representing a year-on-year increase of 179.42%, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

In terms of the overall trade balance, Angola recorded a surplus of 1.07 trillion kwanzas (€1.02 billion) in May 2026, 48.22% lower than the April 2026 surplus (€1.979 billion), but representing an 8.18% increase compared with the same period last year.

Exports totalled 2.66 trillion kwanzas (€2.554 billion), a monthly fall of 20.93% but a year-on-year increase of 21.43%, with China accounting for 56.50% of total exports, followed by Indonesia (8.58%), India (8.06%) and Spain (7.60%).

Oil, fuels and gas accounted for 92.78% of Angolan exports during the period, according to the INE.

RCR/AYLS // AYLS

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