Luanda, Jan. 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The Angolan Minister of State and Head of the Military Office of the country's president on Monday inaugurated the first assembly and maintenance line for warships, arguing for the need for Angola to build defence capabilities in the face of new global challenges.

"The world is facing challenges from a geopolitical and geostrategic point of view that require each country to build capacity to defend itself," said Francisco Furtado in his speech, broadcast by Angolan Public Television during the inauguration ceremony at the Lobinave shipyard in Lobito, Benguela province.

Francisco Furtado pointed out that Angola has a coastline of 1,650 kilometres and an exclusive economic zone of around 200 nautical miles, which has led the Angolan president, João Lourenço to devise a strategy for equipping and modernising the country's navy, "so that it can meet the challenges and defence needs" of Angola's seas and coastline.

According to Francisco Furtado, the strategy includes creating the conditions for Angola to control and securely protect its coastline, with the construction and equipping of national maritime surveillance coordination centres currently underway.

The Angolan minister pointed out that the programme provides for the construction of regional maritime surveillance and coordination centres, with the first one inaugurated two years ago at the northern Soyo naval base in Zaire province and two others nearing completion in Lobito and Namibe, in addition to maritime surveillance antenna centres and communication and surveillance repeater antennas for the various centres.

"The Navy has also begun to be equipped with maritime surveillance aircraft. Two C295 aircraft acquired by the Angolan government to equip the Navy with maritime surveillance aircraft arrived in the country in October last year, in close cooperation between the navy and the national air force, and other investments are underway," he said.

Francisco Furtado also highlighted that a European naval company, in partnership with the Angolan Ministry of Defence, plans to obtain international certification to maintain and repair large merchant navy vessels from any country seeking Angolan assistance, in this first defence industry development project in the naval sector.

NME/AYLS // AYLS

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