A Frenchman is recycling old guns that were used during Angola’s 27-year brutal civil war into steel for other purposes.
The French businessman, Georges Choucair, has worked in Angola since 1992, in a diverse range of businesses including bakeries, before becoming the country’s main steel importer.
“Steel is as important as food,” says Choucair. “If you want to build anything, you need steel. I know the market here, and I know the potential.”
The Frenchman estimates that domestic demand for steel is around 400,000 tons per year, which will increase with population and associated development needs. He claims the mill will produce 280,000 tons in its first year, and 500,000 thereafter.
Angola’s brutal 27-year civil war claimed 500,000 lives before it ended in 2002. Now, guns and tanks that were used in the war are being scrapped to kick-start a steel industry to complement the country’s oil industry.
Oil has been a major source of revenue for Angola, but now oil prices have declined, leaving the economy in need of other sources of revenue, which Choucair hopes to exploit.
