Angola

In summary

As one of the fastest-growing economies in the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Angola has become an attractive destination for foreign investment; however, its exponential growth since the early 2000s has not been fully accompanied by the development of a fast, effective judicial system. Further, a more arbitration-friendly culture has been, and still is, under development in the Angolan legal culture. This article outlines some of the means through which the development of this culture is being achieved and provide an overview of the achievements and difficulties that arbitration has faced since the inception of the Angolan Arbitration Law in 2003.

Discussion points

• Angola’s development
• Angolan Arbitration Law and growing arbitration culture
• Creation of arbitration centres
• Special regimes in relation to arbitration
• Accession to and ratification of the ICSID Convention

Referenced in this article

• Angolan Arbitration Law
• Angola’s BITs
• Cotonou Agreement
• New York Convention
• ICSID Convention
• UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration

Introduction

According to the World Bank,^[1] Angola had a population of 35.5 million people and a gross domestic product of US$106.78 billion in 2022.

Notwithstanding a recent slowdown, Angola has experienced exponential economic growth since the end of the civil war in 2002, having created conditions to become more attractive to investments, both domestic and international, in several economic areas. In 2022, Angola recorded FDI of US$6.1 billion. According to the Statistical Bulletin published by the National Bank of Angola (BNA) on 13 November 2023,^[2] with reference to September 2023, Angola recorded foreign direct investment (FDI) of US$3.2 billion. At the time of writing, the results for the year 2023 are yet to be determined, but the preliminary information from the first semester is that US$ 575.7 million of FDI had been invested.

The country’s development in recent years, in line with Africa’s general economic performance, has not, however, been entirely matched by an expeditious and resourceful judicial system capable of duly responding to the growing number of disputes that any developing economy generates. Nevertheless, the Angolan executive branch is focused on enhancing the efficiency of the judicial system and on the modernisation of its legal framework, with measures such as the adoption of new legislation (eg, the new General Labour Law and the new Legal Framework for the Communication and Electronic Processing of Tax Procedures and Tax Enforcement Proceedings).

Angola’s legal community has been demonstrating an increasing interest in the use of arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) not only between companies and individuals, but also in disputes involving the state and other public entities. This is reflected in the many general and sectoral legal instruments providing for and promoting the use of arbitration. In addition, an arbitration community is growing in Angola, which is demonstrated by the increase in discussion forums on arbitration and by the growing relevance given to arbitration by universities and other scientific institutions. Similar initiatives are also being launched by the Angolan Bar Association and local law firms.

In August 2019, an ambitious privatisation programme known as PROPRIV was approved by Presidential Decree No. 250/19, which enshrines the full or partial privatisation of over 190 companies that are either public companies or companies where the state holds equity. PROPRIV started in late 2019, and a new update to that privatisation programme was approved in March 2023 through Presidential Decree No. 78/23, extending the period of PROPRIV until 2026.

Considering the lengthy negotiation procedures that PROPRIV might entail and the contracts that might be entered into between the state and investors, there is an additional need for investors to have their rights assured by quick, neutral and specialised access to justice if a dispute arises. The introduction of arbitration agreements into such contracts will, therefore, most certainly be a reality.

Arbitration in Angola

Voluntary Arbitration Law

Angola’s first substantial step in its efforts to promote the use of arbitration began a little over a year after the end of the civil war, when Angola’s National Assembly approved the Voluntary Arbitration Law (the Angolan Arbitration Law), which was enacted through Law No. 16/03 of 25 July 2003. The Angolan Arbitration Law was greatly inspired by the former Portuguese Voluntary Arbitration Law of 1986 and, although it does not perfectly mirror the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, it follows many of its principles and rules.

The Angolan Arbitration Law generally admits the arbitrability of disputes pertaining to disposable rights, provided that these disputes are not subject, by special law, to the exclusive jurisdiction of judicial courts or to mandatory arbitration. Regarding any disputes involving the state or other public entities, the Angolan Arbitration Law establishes that these bodies may enter into arbitration agreements:

• when the relevant dispute concerns a private law relationship;
• in administrative contracts; or
• in other cases specifically provided by law.^[3]

Under articles 16 and 17 of the Angolan Arbitration Law, the parties may agree on relevant matters pertaining to the arbitration (eg, the rules of the arbitration proceedings and the seat of arbitration) in the arbitration agreement or in any subsequent written document. The parties may agree on the rules of the procedure and are entitled to submit the procedure to the rules provided by a given arbitral institution. If agreement is not reached by the parties before the acceptance of the first-appointed arbitrator, the arbitrators will be responsible for establishing the rules of procedure.

The parties may also agree, in the arbitration agreement or in a subsequent document, that the ruling of the case be made according to equity or usage and custom, both national and international;^[4] otherwise, the arbitral tribunal shall rule according to the applicable law. When a decision is based on usage and custom, the arbitral tribunal is, in any case, subject to the principles of Angolan public policy.

The parties may agree, again in the arbitration agreement or in a subsequent document, on a deadline for the issuance of the arbitral award.^[5] If nothing is specifically agreed by the parties in that respect, the Angolan Arbitration Law establishes that the award must be rendered within six months of the acceptance of the last-appointed arbitrator. Experience shows that this is a very tight deadline; therefore, it is wise for the parties and the arbitrators to agree on a more realistic time limit for the issuance of the arbitral award.

In line with most arbitration laws, arbitration proceedings are subject to the fundamental principles of due process, including the principle of equality of the parties and the adversarial principle.^[6] Additionally, the parties may be represented or assisted by a lawyer, which has in the past led to the understanding that it should be a lawyer registered with the Angolan Bar Association.^[7]

Arbitral awards produce the same effects as judicial decisions rendered by state courts and are enforceable when it contains a conviction.^[8] Additionally, Angola is a party to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the New York Convention) and has ratified its accession to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention).

Contrary to many laws and regulations on voluntary arbitration, and also to the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, the default rule under the Angolan Arbitration Law for domestic arbitrations is that arbitral awards are appealable on the merits to local courts under the same terms as judicial decisions, unless the parties have previously waived the right to appeal.^[9] The waiver may result from a referral to institutional arbitration rules that exclude the possibility of appeal. This is an issue that must be carefully considered when drafting the arbitration agreement. If the parties allow the arbitral tribunal to rule according to equity, the award is unappealable.

In any event, the arbitral award may be set aside for one of the reasons specified in the Angolan Arbitration Law for that purpose, notably when:

• the dispute is not arbitrable;
• the award is rendered by an arbitral tribunal with no jurisdiction;
• the arbitration agreement has expired; or
• the award lacks the statement of grounds.^[10]

Unlike the right to appeal, the right to request the setting aside of the award cannot be waived by the parties.

The Angolan Arbitration Law applies to international arbitration, but it distinguishes between domestic and international arbitration. Article 40 of the Law defines international arbitration as arbitration that brings into play the interests of international trade, namely where:

• the parties to an arbitration agreement have their domiciles in different states when the arbitration agreement is entered into;
• the place of arbitration, the place where a substantial part of the obligations resulting from the legal relationship from which the dispute arises or the place with which the conflict has a closer connection is not located in the state in which the parties are domiciled; or
• the parties have expressly agreed that the object of the arbitration agreement is connected to more than one state.

In the context of international arbitration, the parties may agree on the language of the arbitration, and, if no agreement is reached between the parties, the arbitral tribunal will determine the language to be used in the proceedings.^[11]

The substantive law applicable to the case will be the one agreed to by the parties. If such an agreement does not exist, the arbitral tribunal applies the substantive law resulting from the relevant conflict of law rules. The tribunal may only decide according to equity or resort to amiable composition when the parties have expressly authorised it to do so and must, in any case, respect the usages and customs of international trade applicable to the object of the arbitration agreement.^[12]

In contrast to domestic arbitration, the Angolan Arbitration Law establishes as a default rule that arbitral awards rendered in the context of international arbitration are unappealable unless the parties have agreed on the possibility of appeal and set the terms of that appeal.^[13] This rule is in line with best practice in international arbitration.

Other than the above-mentioned specific rules, and in the absence of further regulation agreed to by the parties, international arbitration proceedings are regulated by the same provisions applicable to domestic arbitration.^[14]

Institutional arbitration

In the context of promoting and facilitating the use of arbitration, it is also worth mentioning Decree No. 4/06 of 27 February 2006, which concerns the creation of arbitration centres. The Decree grants the Minister of Justice and Human Rights powers to authorise the creation of arbitration centres and establishes their respective licensing procedures.

The possibility of institutional arbitration is established in article 45 of the Angolan Arbitration Law. Institutional arbitration is seen in Angola as an important means of ADR because it provides certainty, predictability and legal security to legal relationships through a system that is both flexible and controlled, in that it operates under the auspices of an institution.

To date, seven arbitration centres have been authorised in Angola:

• the Centre for Extrajudicial Dispute Resolution;
• the Angolan Centre for Arbitration of Disputes;
• the CEFA Arbitration Centre;
• the Harmonia Dispute Resolution Centre;
• the Arbitral Juris;
• the Centre for Mediation and Arbitration of Angola; and
• the Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Angolan Industrial Association.

Unfortunately, to date, many of these centres seem to have been engaging in little arbitral activity.

Special regimes

In a further effort to support the use of arbitration, and in recognition of the lack of resources and agility of the judicial system, as well as the benefits of ADR, the executive branch approved Resolution No. 34/06 of 15 May 2006. The Resolution reaffirmed the purpose of promoting the use of ADR, such as mediation and arbitration, and that the resolution of disputes between the state and any private party through ADR should be actively proposed and accepted by the state. This openness to arbitration is demonstrated in several sectorial regimes that mention arbitration as a legitimate means resolving disputes that may arise under their purview.

In this context, the Petroleum Activities Law, approved through Law No. 10/04 of 12 November 2004, establishes the rules of access to and performance of petroleum operations in Angola. Article 89 of the Law indicates that strictly contractual disputes that may arise between the competent ministry and the licensees, or between the National Concessionary and its associates, are subject to arbitration, as provided in the relevant licences or contracts. It requires that the arbitral tribunal be seated in Angola, apply Angolan law and conduct the arbitration in Portuguese, Angola’s official language.

Another important regime is provided by the Private Investment Law, approved by Law No. 10/18 of 26 June 2018 and amended by Law No. 10/21 of 22 April 2021, which defines the principles underlying private investment in Angola and regulates the benefits and aid provided by the Angolan state to private investors, as well as their rights, duties and guarantees. Article 15 of the Law states that disputes regarding disposable rights may be resolved through ADR, notably negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration, provided that no special law submits those disputes to the exclusive jurisdiction of judicial courts or to mandatory arbitration.

Other relevant sectoral legal regimes that also mention the possibility of resorting to arbitration include the following:

• articles 131 and 223 of the Securities Code, approved by Law No. 22/15 of 31 August 2015;
• article 26 of the Legal Regime of Compensatory Measures, approved by Law No. 20/16 of 29 December 2016;
• article 43 of the General Regime of Financial Institutions, approved by Law No. 14/21 of 19 May 2021; and
• article 20 of the Law on Public-Private Partnerships, approved by Law No. 11/19 of 14 May 2019.

Entry into force of the New York Convention

In 2017, Angola took a significant step towards becoming a more arbitration-friendly country by acceding to the New York Convention. The process of ratification began with Resolution No. 38/2016, published in the Official Gazette on 12 August 2016.

Angola made a reservation regarding the application of the New York Convention, stating that, on the basis of reciprocity, it will only apply the Convention in cases where the arbitral awards are rendered in the territory of another state that is both a party to the Convention and a state recognised by Angola; therefore, since the entry into force of the Convention in Angola, the recognition and enforcement in Angola of arbitral awards rendered in states that are also party to the Convention will be subject to the rules and procedures established in the Convention, supplemented, where necessary and compatible with the Convention, by the rules of the Angolan Civil Procedure Code.

Furthermore, under article II of the New York Convention, Angolan courts must recognise and enforce arbitration agreements that satisfy the conditions established in the Convention. If legal proceedings concerning a matter subject to an arbitration agreement are brought before Angolan courts, the court, at the request of one of the parties, shall decline jurisdiction unless it finds that the arbitration agreement is null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed.

Investment arbitration in Angola

Angola is not new to foreign investments and has introduced several reforms to encourage those investments (eg, PROPRIV, which was approved in 2019 and last updated in July 2021). Moreover, Angola has taken some steps towards arbitration in the context of investment disputes, although the more recent reforms seem to call for a paradigm shift.

First, the Private Investment Law is an important legal instrument to foster and protect investments in Angola, including by foreign investors. It grants to foreign investors, with some variations, many of the most common standards of protection, such as protection of private property and against expropriation, full protection and security and free transfer of investment-related funds.

Article 15 of the Private Investment Law grants to investors the right to resort to Angolan courts for purposes of protecting their rights and interests and contemplates the possibility of arbitration as a means to resolve disputes related to the breach of the rights established therein. The former Private Investment Law required an arbitration to take place in Angola and to be governed by Angolan law both as to the substance of the case and to the conduct of the proceedings, but these restrictions were not transposed to the new law.

Second, Angola is a party to nine bilateral investment treaties (BITs) that are currently in force. As such, Angola is presently a party to BITs with Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy, Cape Verde, Germany, Russia, Portugal and Brazil. These BITs establish the typical set of rights and guarantees granted to foreign investors, including fair and equitable treatment, compensation for expropriation, national and most favoured nation treatment and non-discrimination. The limited size of Angola’s network of BITs requires the investor to carefully structure its investments to benefit from the protection of a treaty. Angola has also entered into BITs with other states, but those have not yet entered into force.

Regarding investor-state dispute settlement provisions, there are some differences between the BITs listed above. Failing resolution through amicable discussions, the following options are available under Angola’s BITs:

• BIT with Spain:
  • dispute resolution by the competent judicial court of the territory in which the investment was located;
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules; or
  • institutional arbitration before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules, if one of the states is not a party to the ICSID Convention;
• BIT with Turkey:
  • dispute resolution by the competent judicial court of the territory in which the investment was located;
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID; or
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules;
• BIT with the UAE:
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID; or
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules;
• BIT with Italy:
  • dispute resolution by the judicial courts of the host state;
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules; or
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Convention, provided both Angola and Italy are parties to this Convention;
• BIT with Cape Verde:
  • ad hoc arbitration; or
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Convention, provided both Angola and Cape Verde are parties to this Convention;
• BIT with Germany:
  • dispute resolution by the judicial courts of the host state;
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules;
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Convention, provided both Angola and Germany are parties to this Convention; or
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules, provided at least one of the states (Angola or Germany) is a party to the ICSID Convention;
• BIT with Russia:
  • dispute resolution by the judicial courts of the host state;
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, unless the parties choose other rules;
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Convention, provided both Angola and Russia are parties to this Convention; or
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules, if both Angola and Russia or at least one of these states are not a party to the ICSID Convention; and
• BIT with Portugal:
  • dispute resolution by the judicial courts of the host state;
  • ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules;
  • institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Convention;
  • if one of the states is not a party to the ICSID Convention, institutional arbitration before ICSID and under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules; or
  • any other institutional arbitration or ad hoc arbitration under any other arbitration rules.

Through Presidential Decree No. 122/14 of 4 June 2014, Angola approved model provisions for BITs to be executed by Angola in the future (the Angolan Model BIT). These provisions continue to include some of the main rights typically granted to foreign investors under investment treaties; however, under the Angolan Model BIT, and in contrast to the BITs currently in force between Angola and foreign states, those rights are not enforceable through investor-state arbitration, but rather through consultations between the contracting states. In the event of failure of those consultations, the dispute shall be solved through state-to-state dispute resolution before the International Court of Justice.

In this context, the Cooperation and Facilitation Investment Agreement signed between Angola and Brazil on 1 April 2015 is the first example of a new generation of BITs following approval of the Angolan Model BIT. Unlike the other BITs in force between Angola and foreign states, this agreement with Brazil no longer provides for investor-state arbitration, but rather for state-to-state arbitration.

Also in the context of investment protection, Angola is not a member of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa, which aims to promote investment and arbitration as an instrument for the settlement of contractual disputes. Angola is, however, a member of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.

Angola is also a member of several multilateral treaties that establish either arbitration clauses or other ADR mechanisms. One example is the Cotonou Agreement, signed between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, in which Angola participates through the Southern African Development Community. The Agreement advises the contracting parties entering into investment agreements to thoroughly study the main clauses aimed at protecting the investment, including the provision for international arbitration in the event of any disputes between the investor and the host state.

The Cotonou Agreement also establishes that the signatory states shall cooperate and support each other in the necessary economic and institutional reforms and policies that contribute to the creation of a safe environment for the investment. One of the areas where this cooperation is specifically foreseen is the modernisation and development of mediation and arbitration systems.

The Cotonou Agreement submits any dispute between the signatory parties arising from its interpretation or application to a council of ministers. If the council is not successful in solving the dispute, either party may request that the matter be referred to arbitration, and the procedure to be applied, unless the arbitrators decide otherwise, shall be the one that is established in the regulations of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

The Cotonou Agreement was extended in 2021 and is expected to be replaced by the ‘post-Cotonou Agreement’, which has already been signed by the chief negotiators of the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries at the time of writing.

Accession to the ICSID Convention

After a protracted period, the president of Angola published Letter of Accession No. 1/21 of 21 October 2021, through which the accession of Angola to the ICSID Convention was ratified. The ratification instrument was deposited before ICSID on 21 September 2022, and the ICSID Convention entered into force in Angola on 21 October 2022.

By acceding to the ICSID Convention, Angola accepts that foreign investors from an investor state may have the right to bring an international investment arbitration against Angola, as a host state, conducted before ICSID, thereby giving potential foreign investors a layer of protection that may be decisive on their decision to invest; therefore, accession to the ICSID Convention is another milestone in Angola’s plan to create an attractive legal environment for foreign investment and to boost and diversify the economy.

Conclusion

Notwithstanding the efforts resulting from all the general and special laws, regulations and other legal instruments favourable to arbitration, and despite the existence of an emerging arbitration community, the reality is that the arbitration culture in Angola is still at an early stage.

The reforms introduced by the executive branch remain relatively untested in real-life circumstances. The same applies to the entry into force of the New York Convention and the accession to the ICSID Convention, which are landmarks in Angola’s steps towards the promotion of foreign investment and openness to arbitration, but still require testing in practice. In any event, there seems to be a clear trend for commercial arbitration to continue to grow in Angola.

At a time when many are questioning whether investment arbitration is coming to an end as a means to resolve investment disputes, Angola has been taking decisive steps towards the development and modernisation of its legal framework. Its accession to the ICSID Convention is proof of its commitment to create an environment that is more friendly to investors and arbitration.

Endnotes

^[1] World Bank, ‘Angola’.

^[2] National Bank of Angola, ‘Boletim Estatístico - Setembro 2023’.

^[3] Angolan Arbitration Law, article 1.

^[4] ibid, article 24.

^[5] ibid, article 25.

^[6] ibid, article 18.

^[7] ibid, article 19.

^[8] ibid, article 33.

^[9] ibid, article 36.

^[10] ibid, article 34.

^[11] ibid, article 42.

^[12] ibid, article 43.

^[13] ibid, article 44.

^[14] ibid, article 41.