Isabel dos Santos: “I would like to continue investing in Portugal”
The Angolan businesswoman says she has partners she trusts in Portugal and that she would like to continue investing in the country. Isabel dos Santos is strongly betting on electric mobility.
In a time when Isabel dos Santos is under pressure from Angola, having her actions as chairwoman of Sonangol investigated by judicial authorities, the businesswoman is looking at Portugal. In an interview to the Portuguese newspaper, Jornal de Negócios, Isabel dos Santos says her goal is to continue investing in Portugal, considering BPI to be a closed chapter and now focusing on electric mobility, and her desire is for Efacec to be the leader.
“I have partners I trust and would like to continue investing in Portugal”, Isabel dos Santos stated, when asked if she wanted to keep her investments in the country. She also devalued the recent lost of her stake in BPI, during the takeover bid of CaixaBank. “That’s just how the business world works”, she stated, adding that she maintains a “strong partnership with BPI in Angola, in BFA” and that in a way they continue “working together as partners”.
After closing the BPI chapter, Isabel dos Santos says that, strategically, in addition to banking, her bets as a businesswoman currently fall on the energy and retail distribution sector, and “in the future, electric mobility”, where she believes Efacec can have a very important role.
"I have partners I trust and would like to continue investing in Portugal”
“I think there is a large market in that sector and I would like Efacec to be a leader”, Isabel dos Santos stated. “Portugal has a lot of talented people, we are partnering with some universities and we are seeking to develop apps, software, programming, and so on — everything that’s part of electric mobility management“, the businesswoman specifies, advocating for Portugal “as a leader in that market”.
Recently, the Angolan businesswoman was in Portugal precisely for the inauguration of a new electric mobility factory from Efacec. For the past three years, Isabel dos Santos has been in charge of 66% of Efacec’s capital by means of Winterfell, which results from a partnership with Angola’s ENDE.
