The Mining Codes Of Angola

Keywords: Angola, mining code, natural resources, environmental protection

Through Law 31/11, of September 21st, 2011, Angola approved a new Mining Code. The aim of the new Mining Code was to provide the Angola mining sector with a modern set of rules regarding the exploration of its vast mining resources whilst simultaneously unifying in a single document a framework that was previously fragmented in numerous cumbersome and outdated statutes.

This modernization, simplification and clarification of the mining framework reflects the increasing international competition among African countries and therefore the need to attract foreign investment in this sector. Conceptually, the Mining Code endeavours to establish a compromise between the acquisition of rights for the exploration of mining resources by both national and foreign investors vis-à-vis the public interest, and the State-domain principle of natural resources.