AmCham Angola Monthly — Public Edition — July 2026
In July AmCham Angola signed a cooperation memorandum with ISPTEC, stood with the U.S. Embassy for 250 years of American independence, and set out the tax priorities companies need resolved ahead of the 2027 State Budget.
July is a quiet month in Luanda, but AmCham Angola kept working on what makes the country easier to invest in. We signed a memorandum of understanding with ISPTEC, one of Angola's leading technology institutes, to connect industry with the engineers the country is training. We joined the U.S. Embassy in marking 250 years of American independence and followed up on the State of Ohio's interest in Angola. On tax, our standing channel with the General Tax Administration (AGT) kept delivering for companies, and our Sub-Tax Committee agreed the priorities it will carry into the preparation of the 2027 State Budget.
Tax and the business climate
Four practical tax priorities for the dialogue with AGT
21 July
The Chamber's Sub-Tax Committee took stock of its dialogue with AGT. Members value the access the channel gives; the next step is named contacts, deadlines and figures. Members identified four priorities: the VAT refund backlog, VAT return amendments awaiting processing, the cancellation of e-invoices, and a route to contest the blocking of a taxpayer number (NIF). The Committee will propose a dedicated VAT session with AGT and prepare constructive, evidence-based positions for the 2027 State Budget, aiming at greater predictability and a wider tax base.
A standing channel that opens doors
July
A member company with a VAT refund question dating back to 2020 asked the Chamber for help. Through AGT's Large Taxpayers directorate, led by Dr Denis Barbosa, a meeting was arranged within a day, and the President of AmCham Angola and the Secretariat accompanied the company. The file has been resubmitted and is moving again. The lesson: a case that arrives with a complete record can reach the right people quickly.
A legal regime for holding companies
30 July
Presidential Legislative Decree 5/26 of 30 July 2026 established the long-awaited legal regime for holding companies (Sociedades Gestoras de Participações Sociais, SGPS), giving groups in Angola a recognised structure for managing their shareholdings. No tax regime has yet been published alongside it, and tax treatment is likely to shape adoption. The Chamber is following the matter through its Sub-Tax Committee.
U.S.–Angola relations
Freedom 250 with the U.S. Embassy
2 July
AmCham Angola supported the U.S. Embassy's Independence Day celebration on 2 July, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, and worked with the Embassy to bring the business community into the occasion. On 14 July the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, Shannon Nagy Cazeau, wrote to thank the Chamber; on 22 July the President, Eng. Pedro Godinho, replied, offering help in mobilising business for the Embassy's planned programme on artificial intelligence.
Building on Ohio's interest in Angola
July
We followed up on the 30 June reception for the Ohio delegation. Ohio's interest grows from the Ohio National Guard's partnership with Angola, which has an economic side involving the Ohio Department of Development and The Ohio State University. The Lobito Corridor drew particular interest. Angola's Ambassador to the United States has asked the Chamber to help mobilise Angolan companies for a proposed trade mission to Ohio, and we are in contact with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Education and partnerships
AmCham Angola and ISPTEC sign a memorandum of understanding
16 July
At a ceremony at AmCham Angola, the President, Eng. Pedro Godinho, and Prof. Dr. João Fernando Manuel, President of the Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tecnologias e Ciências (ISPTEC), signed a one-year memorandum of understanding covering links between academia and industry, internships and placements, conferences, applied research and executive training. ISPTEC, which already works with MIT, asked the Chamber to help it reach more U.S. universities, building on our contacts with Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Liberty University.
Opportunities
A U.S. investment programme for Africa opens
July
The U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs has opened an Annual Program Statement for its U.S.-Africa Strategic Investment Program. Statements of interest for the first round are due on 21 August, by email to the Bureau. The Chamber is bringing the programme to the attention of the business community in Angola so that eligible organisations can prepare in time.
Why it matters for business in Angola
- VAT refunds, return amendments and e-invoicing now have a defined agenda with the tax authority and a route into the 2027 State Budget.
- The ISPTEC partnership gives employers a structured route to Angola's next generation of engineers.
- U.S. engagement is broadening beyond Washington, with Ohio and the Lobito Corridor drawing new attention to Angola.
What members get
A standing channel to the tax authority
AmCham Angola members bring their tax cases to a standing channel with AGT: a monthly technical session with the tax authority and a Sub-Tax Committee that meets every two weeks. This month that channel moved a long-standing VAT refund file and produced clear priorities for the 2027 State Budget. Members also join the Policy Committee's eight sector sub-groups and hear early about programmes such as this month's U.S. investment call.
Welcome to our new members
- Dubai Investments International — Joined AmCham Angola in July 2026
- AEB – Aliança Empresarial de Benguela — Joined AmCham Angola in July 2026
- VFUTI — Joined AmCham Angola in July 2026
Coming up
- 21 August — Deadline for statements of interest, U.S.-Africa Strategic Investment Program
- September — AmCham Angola's ninth anniversary celebration (date and venue to be announced)
About AmCham Angola
The American Chamber of Commerce in Angola (AmCham Angola) is a non-profit membership organisation founded in July 2017. Its mission is to develop commerce between the United States and Angola, to promote the interests of U.S. companies and of its members, and to improve Angola's business environment. It receives no financial assistance from any government, is governed by an elected Board of Directors and works through its committees and forums: we advocate, connect, inform and fight for Angolan and U.S. business growth.
AmCham Angola is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., the world's largest business organisation, founded in 1912 under President William Taft and representing more than three million companies. That affiliation links members in Angola to the U.S. Chamber's networks, including the U.S.–Angola Working Group, and places AmCham Angola among the 21 American Chambers of Commerce in Africa.
What the Chamber does: inward and outward trade missions; networking breakfasts, receptions and business luncheons with ministers, officials and industry leaders; advocacy through position papers, policy comments and structured dialogue with the Angolan Government; off-the-record CEO forums; conferences, workshops and webinars; and the weekly radio programme “A Hora da AmCham” on Rádio LAC.
Join AmCham Angola
Write to us: amchamangola@amchamangola.org · www.amchamangola.org/become-member