An ophthalmic lens factory, capable of producing 50 pieces per hour, was inaugurated last week, in the municipality of Viana, Luanda, by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rui Minguêns de Oliveira.
The infrastructure will create, in the first phase, 50 direct jobs, predicting to reach up to 150 over the next five years.
The project, budgeted at eight billion Kwanzas, is an initiative of the Ophthalmed company and funded by the Angola Development Bank (BDA).
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The Ophthalmic Lens Factory, first in the Central Africa region and the Portuguese -speaking African group of African countries (Palop), will have the collaboration of international brands such as Zeiss, Schneider and Buhler.
In the first phase the factory, installed in an area of 1800 square meters, will have a daily production of a thousand lens, which could double when the second production line is launched.
The opening was marked with the delivery of the “made in Angola” seal by the administrator of the National Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises (Inapem), Osvaldo Rasgado.
According to industry and commerce holder, Rui Minguêns de Oliveira, the lens factory brings a pressing need from the country and the people who need glasses.
‘It is an important step for the country to open the factory, as when produced in the country, costs to customers will be more affordable,’ he said.
Attending the ceremony was MPLA Vice President, Luísa Damião, who stressed that the installation of the first lens factory is proof that investors believe in the development of Angola.
Luísa Damião said that investors should be encouraged to seriously bet on Angola’s development.
In turn, Ophtalmed administrator Hamyn Habib stressed that progressive, bifocal, anti-reflex, anti-risk, and contacting ophthalmic lenses will be manufactured in space to meet the needs of users with vision problems.
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“National lenses will be cheaper because it does not add costs inherent to imports, and users beyond supplying the domestic market, the company also provides to export its production.
Ophtalmed, holder of the Centro Optical Network, already offers products such as ophthalmic lenses and clinics and hospitals in eight of the country’s 18 provinces, ensuring that they will expand their services to five more, namely Uige, Moxico, Malanje, Bié and Cunene.
