AmCham Angola Monthly — Public Edition — September 2026
AmCham Angola met the leadership of AGT, agreed four common tax priorities ahead of the 2027 State Budget, and submitted written opinions on the petroleum sector's foreign-exchange regime.
September showed what a business chamber can do when it brings evidence to the table. AmCham Angola took member cases to the President of AGT, held its monthly technical session with the tax authority and, through its Sub-Tax Committee, agreed four common priorities to put forward with members' own figures. We prepared a proposal for a permanent technical channel with the Ministry of Finance and answered the Government's call for contributions on the petroleum sector's foreign-exchange regime. Abroad, we attended the UK–Angola Investment Forum in London as an observer. Our message was constant: predictable rules attract investment and widen the tax base.
Tax: a standing channel with the tax authority
Member cases taken to the President of AGT
4 September
At two days' notice, the Chamber's President, Eng. Pedro Godinho, and Executive Director, Neil Breslin Jr., accompanied member companies to AGT headquarters to meet the President of AGT, José Leiria, and three of his directors. The members' files were heard and a follow-up was arranged: concrete cases, raised quickly and at the right level.
Congratulations to José Leiria, Secretary of State for Tax Affairs
September
Shortly after the 4 September meeting, José Leiria, until then President of AGT, was appointed Secretary of State for Tax Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, a post announced by the President of the Republic in August. AmCham Angola congratulated him: tax matters now have a dedicated interlocutor at the Ministry, and the Chamber looks forward to continuing its constructive dialogue.
Four common priorities, backed by members' numbers
23 and 29 September
At the monthly AGT × AmCham technical session on 23 September, led on AGT's side by Dr Denis Barbosa, Director of Large Taxpayers, the tax authority invited members to bring quantified data to the 2027 State Budget discussion. On 29 September, by unanimous decision of the Big Four and all members participating in the Sub-Tax Committee, four priorities were agreed: the 5% minimum customs duty; the timing of VAT refunds; unrecoverable Industrial Tax withholding; and the Special Contribution on Foreign Exchange Operations.
Government engagement
A permanent technical channel with the Ministry of Finance
5 September
Following its 18 June audience with the Minister of Finance, Vera Daves de Sousa, the Chamber prepared a request proposing a permanent technical channel with MINFIN on the AGT model: regular meetings and a named focal point on each side. AmCham Angola seeks not lower taxes but predictability, which brings investment and a wider tax base.
Contributing to the petroleum foreign-exchange regime
14 and 21 September
AmCham Angola took part in a MIREMPET consultation on Law 2/12, the petroleum sector's 2012 foreign-exchange regime, where ANPG presented a proposed certificate for the external component of contracts. On 21 September the Chamber submitted two written opinions: one welcoming the certificate as a first auditable measure of the sector's foreign-exchange needs, with practical proposals; the other reviewing fourteen years of Law 2/12.
U.S.–Angola relations and international forums
UK–Angola Investment Forum, London
8–9 September
At the invitation of the UK Ambassador, the Executive Director attended the forum as an observer; the Minister of Finance led the Angolan delegation. The Chamber's written report is feeding into its input to the B20, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., and into its Policy Committee sector sub-groups.
Members meet President Lourenço in New York
22–28 September
During the United Nations General Assembly week, President João Lourenço received three AmCham Angola members in New York. The Chamber congratulates them. Engagement at this level, alongside the London forum earlier in the month, reflects the openness of Angola's leadership to American business and the depth of the U.S.–Angola commercial relationship.
Chamber news
Five new members, and the Assembly date set
September
AmCham Angola welcomed five new members in September, from offshore services, technology, law, industrial services and mobility, each listed below. The Chamber's annual General Assembly is convened for 19 November 2026. Every new member can join the Policy Committee's eight sector sub-groups and the Sub-Tax Committee from its first day.
Why it matters for business in Angola
- 2027 tax policy is being shaped now, and AGT has asked for data: companies that quantify their exposure have a voice.
- The petroleum foreign-exchange regime is moving towards a certificate model that suppliers and contractors should follow.
- Angola's leadership is engaging directly with U.S. business, and the Chamber is the standing route into that dialogue.
What members get
Your tax case, a standing channel to AGT
Members bring their tax cases to a standing monthly channel with the tax authority and, where needed, the Chamber arranges meetings with AGT's leadership and its Large Taxpayers Directorate. Through the Sub-Tax Committee, members shape common positions put forward with their own figures. Board-level members also receive advisory services and priority invitations to meetings with Angolan and U.S. officials.
Welcome to our new members
- Axess Offshore Angola — Corporate member
- Persitech — Participant member
- RVA Sociedade de Advogados — Participant member
- Scaffall Angola — Participant member
- CFAO Mobility Angola (Toyota) — Participant member
Coming up
- 3–4 November — Africa Financial Summit, Luanda — in Angola for the first time
- 9–11 November — B20, Washington, D.C., hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- 4 December — U.S. Marine Corps Birthday Ball, InterContinental Hotel, Luanda (tickets on sale)
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