Angola is poised to begin manufacturing drones for agriculture, mining, and the oil and gas sector within months.
Pedro Godinho, chair of the US Chamber of Commerce in Angola (Amcham), said that the project is a partnership between Amcham and students from the Promotion, Development, Prosperity and Technology (PDPT) association, ANGOP reported on August 10.
He said production could start in the “next few months,” with the aim of having the core structure of the robots in place within 12 months.
Godinho stressed that the timeline depends on Amcham’s ability to mobilise financing, secure raw materials, and train or recruit skilled workers in Angola. The drones are intended for civilian and industrial uses, including crop monitoring, surveying mines, and supporting oil and gas operations rather than as weapons systems.
In 2023, Angolan startup Arotec said it was developing “made in Angola” drones and working toward printing and fabricating its own circuit boards, though it still needed foreign-made microcontrollers.
Nigeria’s Terra Industries has recently discussed training Angolan youth and potentially setting up a similar factory in Angola, signaling regional interest in local drone production.
The drone news arrives days after Angola and the US signed new defense cooperation instruments in Luanda. On August 7, the two governments adopted a 2026–2031 cooperation roadmap to strengthen collaboration between their armed forces.
In June 2024, Angola and the US held their first joint Defense Cooperation Committee (DEFCOM) at the Pentagon and signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, allowing the two militaries to exchange fuel, spare parts, transport, and other logistics.
Another meeting with the DEFCOM took place in Luanda on August 5–6, hosted by Angola’s Defense Ministry, with priorities including professional military education, leadership development, disaster response, medical readiness, cyber cooperation, and joint planning.
In April 2026, Angola and the Ohio National Guard formalized a State Partnership Program (SPP), and in late June the military component was activated, setting up annual engagement plans for exchanges, education, and cooperation in areas such as cyber, medical readiness, and disaster preparedness.
President João Lourenço first signaled a strategic pivot in December 2022, saying Angola needed to modernize its armed forces and describing the US as the “ideal partner” to help move away from Soviet-era technology. Since then, US officials have highlighted support for equipment compatible with NATO standards, working with firms such as Oshkosh Defense, GM Defense, and Bell/Textron, while also funding large-scale landmine clearance.
