Mining 2025

ANGOLA Law and Practice Contributed by: João Afonso Fialho, Marizeth Vicente and Lukeny Pascoal, VdA

however, growing concern surrounding climate change which has led to the ratification of several international climate change conventions, name - ly the United Nations Climate Change Conven - tion (UNFCCC) in 2000 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2007, reaffirming Angola’s commitment to the implementation of measures and programmes to stabilise greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In May 2000, Angola ratified the Montreal Pro - tocol to the Vienna Convention. Angola is also a signatory to the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Convention on Combating Drought and Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on the Conservation of Wild Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Angola is also part of the Law of the Sea Convention. Most of the conventions continue to be implemented by Angola, through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment (MCTA), within the scope of the commitments assumed at international level to contribute to the protection of life on planet earth. Although Angola does not yet have specific legislation on climate change concerning min - ing, there are environmental legislative provi - sions that may indirectly contribute to climate change mitigation. For example, Articles 12 and 19 of Law 8/24 (Law on Combating Illegal Min - ing Activities) include some environmental provi - sions, and Article 5 of Presidential Decree 51/24 (Regulations on the Exercise of Mineral, Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in Conservation Areas) imposes various obligations on operators. These obligations include the construction of infra - structure, responsible use of water resources, financial contributions to conservation pro - grammes, biodiversity protection, and the con - duct of environmental audits. Although these do not specifically mention climate change, some of the obligations, such as environmental miti -

gation, ecosystem protection, and fire preven - tion, may indirectly contribute to efforts against climate change. The Angolan National Commission on Climate Change and Biodiversity (CNACB) was recently established with a specific mandate for climate change. The CNACB is composed of several entities, including the ministries of petroleum, transport, higher education, science and tech - nology, health, and agriculture and fisheries, under the co-ordination of the ministerial depart - ment responsible for the environment, and was in charge of preparing Angola’s participation in COP 28. 3.3 Sustainable Development Initiatives Related to Mining The are no relevant sustainable development initiatives related to mining in Angola. There is, nevertheless, a clear constitutional and statu - tory principle of sustainable exploitation of mineral resources in strict compliance with the rules on safety, economic use of the soil, rights of the local communities and the protection of the environment, to the benefit of the national economy, local communities and future genera - tions, which was publicly reinforced during the course of 2023. 3.4 Energy-Transition Minerals As global priorities shift and new technologies such as electric vehicles (EVs), battery storage and green energy take preference, rare earth minerals found in countries such as Angola are expected to play a critical role. The Angolan government is focused on the strategic position - ing of the country as one of the major mineral resource-producing countries and a key player in the global energy transition.

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