📋 Tender Overview
The Head of the Executive Branch, Joao Lourenço, approved, by Order, a global expenditure estimated at 285,001,708.46 US dollars for the design and construction works of the Bero Dam, in the province of Namibe, within the scope of the Drought Combat Program in the Southern Region of the country.
In Order No. 214/24, of 6 September, the President of the Republic formalizes the opening of the simplified contracting procedure, based on material criteria, for reasons of external financing, for the design and construction works of the aforementioned Dam.
The document was signed in response to the drought episodes recorded in the province of Namibe, which has "severely impacted the province's economic and social activity".
In response to these challenges, the Programme to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola (PCESSA) was launched, which consists of building water storage and distribution infrastructures in the affected regions.
Thus, according to the content of the Presidential Order, the action has to do with the imperative and urgent need to begin the design and construction works of the Bero Dam, aiming to mitigate the impact of the extreme weather conditions that occur in the South of Angola.
The measure is supported by specific articles of the Constitution of the Republic, in conjunction with others contained in the Public Contracts Law, and paragraph 16 of article 10 of the Rules for the Execution of the General State Budget for 2024. Thus, the Head of State also authorizes the inclusion of the project in the General State Budget (OGE).
However, the Minister of Energy and Water "is delegated power, with the power to sub-delegate, for the approval of the parts of the procedure, the verification of the validity and legality of all acts carried out within the scope of the said procedure, including the celebration and signature”.
The project is authorized to be included in the General State Budget (OGE) under the same terms and the Ministry of Finance is authorized to ensure the provision of the financial resources necessary for the implementation of the aforementioned project.
It should be recalled that President João Lourenço noted, last month, in the municipality of Cuvelai, province of Cunene, the level of execution of the different works that make up the Ndue Dam, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in December of this year.
PCESSA (Program to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola) brings together a series of projects that aim to guarantee a set of structural solutions that will change the future of the provinces of Huíla, Cunene and Namibe, among others, creating the conditions for regional development that will impact the lives of the population at a national level.
In August, engineer Narciso Ambrósio said that a series of projects had been identified for Namibe, starting with the Bentiaba and Bero dams, among others. Also in this province, 43 masonry dams were identified, which will be completely restored.
The Right Bank projects include the municipalities of Cahama, Oshinjau, Oncockue and Chitado.
Also within the framework of PCESSA, the municipality of Curoca will have its water supply system reinforced with the production of some water wells. The Chitado water supply and collection system is currently underway, a project that will include the collection, conveyance, treatment and distribution system of drinking water to the population.
In terms of physical execution, the progress of the construction of the Cova do Leão dam, due to technical imperatives, is only 20 percent complete. Regarding these programs, he emphasized the rehabilitation of small dams, a total of nine, in masonry from the 1960s.
These small dams have a greater water reserve capacity underground than on the surface. The completion rate of these new dams is around 90 percent, with six completed.
The drought combat program is not limited to the province of Cunene, as, in parallel, "we are working for the provinces of Huíla and Namibe”.
As part of the Program to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola, Narciso Ambrósio said that the construction of two dams in Huíla is planned, which will improve the water supply to the city of Lubango and, consequently, to the municipalities and surrounding areas.
