António Henriques da Silva

At the age of five he already spoke three languages. Today he speaks nine. From an early age he was forced to grow up quickly due to the hardships his parents faced in the fight for freedom. After graduating in former Yugoslavia, he returned to Angola to put his knowledge at the nation’s service. Gradually, he showed his spirit for leadership. His goal is to lead his teams to success, as only then can we talk of truly strong and secure growth. The Chairman of AIPEX – Angola’s Agency for Private Investment and Promotion of Export has clear goals for the near future. And they are all based on resilience and solidity. This executive intends to diversify the company sothat all of Angola’s potential can be exploited to the full.

 What was your childhood and youth like – periods in which you cemented the pillars of the successful man and professional you have become?
My childhood was, in many aspects, challenging because right from the beginning I began to face life with enormous challenges given that, at the time, I and children whose parents were involved in the fight for liberation, ended up growing up in circumstances very different from those that most children live in our country today. The nature of the life of those who had to change places frequently, without the conditions to grow up and to have an education is not the same as the one we have today. Certainly, on balance, we can say that these challenges prepared us better for our future, so we bring experiences that were characterised by privacy, hardships, but also a great resilience that after all is important for the construction of a person who feels comfortable in trying to be better and in this way being able to make a contribution.  

What led you to choose your degree in Electrical Engineering in the speciality of Telecommunications and Information Systems and to do it at the University of Zagreb, Croatia?
The decision to get a degree in Electrotechnical Engineering in the speciality of Telecommunications and Information Systems was basically influenced by my father, who, despite being in the military, was a trained architect. And, as at the time he was in a country that no longer exists, former Yugoslavia, he thought that if I were to take a course in economics or finance, for example, that perhaps, because of the specifics of each environment in which this economics was applied, it might not be the best choice for a profession that I could continue to work in outside that country. So, as I am also good with numbers and exact sciences, I ended up choosing Telecommunications Electrotechnical Engineering in Information Systems, which I do not regret because it helped me a lot to learn to adapt to the different functions that I have held professionally and jobs that I got over the years.

When and how did the first and more serious job opportunities arise?
When I returned to Angola in 1996, four months later I started working for a multinational company, Texaco. This was my first job. And, in a way, I have to thank a colleague and childhood friend, Paulo Pizarro, who was already working at that company, and who encouraged me to submit my CV to that company at the time, culminating a few days later with me being hired by that organisation.

«AIPEX also has added responsibilities at an international level»

Did you ever dream of getting that far professionally?
Firstly, I do not define my professional career with levels of achievement linked to hierarchy within organisations, because my greatest motivation has always been to inspire others and not to be a top executive or a chairman of the board. However, I have always been committed to doing my job well and leaving a legacy, regardless of the function I had during my years as a professional, and I think that in this specific case, what resulted as an achieved goal was more a question of recognising certain skills and the experience that I have accumulated over the years. By reference to these, the positions with the responsibilities that I hold came about.  

You speak eight languages fluently. Would you say that you have a passion and an aptitude for languages or is it a professional investment?
I do not speak eight languages fluently, I speak nine. These languages are the result of an early experience with languages other than my mother tongue, in this case Portuguese. I can also add others to those that, unfortunately, have been forgotten over the years because I have not practiced them. But they are still in my subconscious. I believe that more than the investment, it was always a desire for communication, the need for interaction and to approach different cultures, different from our own, in order to break down barriers. The fact that we speak a language other than our mother tongue enables us to be part of any environment and, over the years, I started to enjoy speaking these languages and I ended up noticing that this talent had remained after all. And here there is another interesting element too that has to do with the functioning of the human brain itself. At the age of five I already spoke three languages (Portuguese, Swahili and English), which made the process of learning other languages easier.

How do you regard the mission of being the Chairman of AIPEX?
I view this mission with great responsibility because I am aware of the important role that AIPEX plays in this transformation of our economy, whereby our government intends to diversify it, so that all the potential that Angola has can be used to the maximum. It is not an easy task, it is not the result of just personal commitment, but of the collective commitment of all the people involved in this work, in this mission. And it is certainly easier to see that this sense is shared by several of my colleagues to whom I also owe a lot for the results, and for the visibility that I as Chairman of the Board of Directors end up having. Together we are increasingly capable of carrying out the mission entrusted to me.

How does your experience of 22 years, including stints in various sectors and activities, public and private, translate into a successful leadership at the head of AIPEX?
I do not feel worthy of creating meanings or interpretations about the general process of leadership. But in summary, I consider leadership as an opportunity to see the best in each person who is part of our team and to keep the group spirit alive and at its peak, especially when we are faced with difficulties and with needs to make difficult but necessary decisions.  AIPEX is an institution with great responsibility in the country and beyond. This institution has already had other leaders and each one played their role at very different times. Therefore, I feel fortunate to have been the first chairman of APIEX, now AIPEX, an institution that I have known since the beginning of its existence, after having transitioned from the ANIP. I am proud to have the opportunity to share with men, women and young people who are part of this great work team. Without them, being at the head of the institution would have no meaning. It is good when we have the opportunity to learn and share our knowledge and, above all, to be able to be important and significant at the moment when someone needs us.

«It is an honour for us to assume the first presidency of this PALOP Forum»

How has AIPEX contributed to the development of Angola’s economy?
As I said, AIPEX is an institution with a high responsibility in the country. Our focus is to support the growth of a diversified and stable economy by promoting national production, replacing imports, increasing and diversifying exports so that Angola participates significantly and competitively in the global economy. To accomplish this, AIPEX pursues values such as rigour, diligence and exactness in complying with the law, integrity, respect, transparency, impartiality and excellence. AIPEX is the investor’s sole interlocutor at all stages of the investment process. It supports investors through institutional coordination, accompanies investment proposals and ensures the conditions for the proper execution of the investment projects.
Our assignments include the promotion and attraction of private investments of internal and foreign origin, likely to contribute to the socio-economic development of our country. To ensure the receipt and accompanying of private investment proposals to be made in Angola; to promote the attraction of foreign direct investment for the national economy’s strategic sectors; to promote the increase and diversification of exports of Angolan products and services; to contribute to the creation of conditions conducive to private investment in Angola; to supervise and control the execution of approved private investment projects; to implement policies and programmes to replace imports and increase exports.
AIPEX also has added responsibilities at an international level. As a national investment agency, it holds the presidency of the Forum of Trade and Investment Agencies of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (PALOP), established in February this year (2022). It is an honour for us to assume the first presidency of this PALOP Forum, which has an arduous mission to help attract more investment and promote trade between member countries.

Industry in Angola is fundamental to the development of the country and its people. What is your view of all these years of industrialisation, in the various sectors, and what future can we expect?
Industrial companies contribute to increasing innovation and the evolution of technology in any country, making them responsible for the creation of the largest numbers of jobs. Angola has been gradually developing in the industrial sector and at a pace considered satisfying, taking into account the conditions that have affected all economies globally in recent years. With regard to the future, it seems harmonious because of the investment proposals being assessed by AIPEX and the recent photovoltaic energy project for Angola announced by American president, Joe Biden.
As an example, from 2018 until May this year, industry is the sector in which we have the most private investment projects registered with 201 projects, valued at about USD 2,400,000,000.00 (two billion, four hundred million US dollars).

In which way could the war in Ukraine, which is affecting the world economically, be reflected in the future of AIPEX and the country’s economic market?
The war in Ukraine is expected to slow down global growth by more than 1%, at the same time, inflation is expected to increase by 2.5% in the world.
AIPEX’s main activity is to promote and attract domestic and foreign investment, so there is a possibility of economic downturn, caused by the costs of raw materials, such as fertilisers, cereals and primary goods for the sustenance of any society. The longer the war lasts, the more uncertainty we have and the more concerned we become, as uncertainty prevents consumer purchases and business investments.
Ukraine and Russia lead sectors essential to the world economy, such as commodities. In terms of agricultural production alone, Ukraine is responsible for 16% of all corn shipments and 12% of soybean exports in the world. Having blockades like the ones that are already considerable, it is almost impossible for our economic market as well as that of other countries not to feel the burden of this conflict.

What are the main goals for the coming years?
Investments are the basis of a country’s growth. It is through them that the country can ensure the generation of jobs, better incomes and quality of life. Our main goals are to try to guarantee the good image of the country in order to attract more investment, increase the number of private investment projects, whether they are national or foreign, with a view to creating more jobs.