Angola and Norway - the perfect partnership? Business, politics and the challenge of human rights

Angola is Norway’s “biggest and most important economic partner in Africa” says the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Angolan continental shelf is the largest contributor to Statoil’s production outside Norway, and last year the company paid NOK 30 billion in taxes to the Angolan government – more than the sum total of Norwegian development aid. Statoil and other Norwegian companies make great returns on their investments there.

President dos Santos has ruled the country for 35 years. The war is over, but Angola is still challenged by a corruption-ridden political economy, widespread poverty and extreme concentration of power and wealth. Does Norway’s activity in Angola contribute to Angola’s stability and development over time? 

The Angola conference 2014 looks at social and political developments in Angola and debates Norway-Angola relations.

Full programme: Angola days 21-23 September

Programme: (in pdf)

08.30   Coffee and mingling

09.00   Welcoming words from Norwegian Council for Africa and Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)

Chair: Ingrid Stolpestad, Norwegian Council for Africa

09.15   Introductory film

09.30  Angola and Norway – the perfect partnership?

Morten Høglund – Norwegian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

10.00 Angola – A petro-state very different from Norway

Ricardo Soares de Oliveira – Oxford University associate professor and CMI associated senior researcher

Elias Isaac – Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Angola manager

10.40  Break

11.00  Is this oil for development?

Alves da Rocha – Director of Centro de Estudos e Investigação Científica (CEIC), research centre at the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN)

Tove Stuhr Sjøblom – Statoil senior vice president, Sub-Saharan Africa

11.40  Debate – the responsibility of Norway in Angola

Moderator: Ivar Kolstad, CMI

12.30  Lunch

13.30  The conditions for human rights in Angola – experiences from Angolan civil society

Nelson Pestana – Coordinator of the social studies department at CEIC, research centre at the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN)

José Patrocinio – OMUNGA coordinator

Deolinda Teca – Secretary General of CICA, the Angolan Council of Churches

14.30  Break

14.50  Stability and development beyond 2017 – Angola’s next transition

Aslak Orre – Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)

Celso Malavoloneke – Columnist at Semanário Angolense ‏

Gulbrand Wangen - Regional Director Brazil, India and Africa at INTSOK

15.50  Debate – What next for Angola?

Moderator: Jan Isaksen- CMI

16.30  End of conference

Free entrance
Register at johan@afrika.no by Monday 15 September
Limited seats, please let us know if you have registered and cannot make it.