PRESS RELEASE: PRESS/TPRB/259

14 and 16 February 2006

TRADE POLICY REVIEW: ANGOLA

Diversification of production and trade is essential for balanced development

Since the end of the 30-year old civil war, Angola has made significant progress in fostering growth and stabilizing its economy, and has redoubled efforts for a better integration in the multilateral trading system both in regional end global terms, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Angola.

The authorities are committed to trade liberalization as a means to secure the foundations for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, although effective production in various sectors still remains mainly through tariff escalation. Oil and diamonds dominate the export sector.

The report suggests that to consolidate recent improvements in macroeconomic performance, Angola needs to redevelop sectors other than the traditional oil and diamonds, and intensify the diversification of production and trade as well as rehabilitate the domestic infrastructure. Continued help in efforts for landmine clearance in conflict areas and providing urgent technical assistance would also help in the stabilization and development efforts.

The following documents are available in MS Word format.

Secretariat report

> Contents and summary observations (12 pages, 125KB)

> Economic environment (13 pages, 241KB)

> Trade and investment regimes (18 pages, 326KB)

> Trade policies and practices by measure (27 pages, 443KB)

> Trade policies by sector (34 pages, 275KB)

> Appendix tables (18 pages, 991KB)

Government report (23 pages, 293KB)

Revisions of the above documents may be issued approximately 2 weeks after the meeting.

Chairperson's concluding remarks

Minutes of the meeting are available approximately 6 weeks after the meeting.

Questions and answers by WTO Members are available approximately 6 weeks after the meeting.

Note back to top

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy statement by the government of the member under review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTOs full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These documents and the proceedings of the TPRBs meetings are published shortly afterwards.

Print copies of previous TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genve 21 and through the on-line bookshop.

The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States.

Schedule of forthcoming reviews back to top

Djibouti: 27 February and 1 March 2006

United States: 13 and 15 March 2006

China: 4 and 6 April 2006