As part of the Angolan Government’s strategy to rehabilitate the domestic textile industry, Africa Textil, a textile mill located in Benguela will shortly commence operations.
Africa Textil first began manufacturing activity in April 1977. However, the textile mill was paralyzed since 1998 and was declared bankrupt in 2000.
The reconstruction and modernization of Africa Textil began in March 2012 and has been financed by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
Once the textile mill is fully operational, at full capacity it will spin 11,000 tons of cotton per year, and produce 12 million pieces of towels and 120,000 cotton blankets, among other items.
The technical staff recruited for the mill has undergone an intensive six-month training, as the latest machines and equipment installed in Africa Textil would require careful handling.
It is expected that the textile products produced by the mill would be first sold in the domestic market, as Angola is heavily dependent on textile imports and later these goods will be sold in export markets.
The government plan to revive the Angolan textile industry is also expected to provide an impetus to garment manufacturing sector, thereby creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs
