Angola, sub-Saharan Africa’s number two oil producer, is trying to join the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) cartel, the government said on Thursday.
”The council of ministers has said it backs Angola joining Opec,” Finance Ministry spokesperson Bastos de Almeida told the media.
The former Portuguese colony was ravaged by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, claiming about 500 000 lives and wreaking havoc on infrastructure.
But its vast oil wealth has brought in huge riches, although critics say it has not trickled down to the country’s teeming poor.
In 2005, Angola was the second-fastest growing economy in the world, with a gross domestic product growth rate of 20,6%, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The Southern African country, which also includes the oil-rich Cabinda enclave nestled between the two Congos, currently produces 1,4-million barrels a day and aims to raise this figure to two million by the end of next year. — Sapa-AFP