ANGOLA AIRPORT: New Mbanza Congo Airport Works Due to Start This Year

Angola Airport issued the following announcement on June 26.

Construction works of the new Mbanza Kongo airport (northern Zaire province) are scheduled to kick off this year, according to the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Adjany Costa.

Adjany announced this at the end of the 5th Ordinary Meeting of the National Multi-sector Commission for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage, chaired by Vice President, Bornito de Sousa.

She said the project is part of the implementation of the specific recommendations from UNESCO on Mbanza Kongo historical center, which was raised to the category of world heritage.

Mbanza Congo city was declared three yeas ago World Heritage Site.

The minister said the local government has provided the site for construction of the new airport, with the terms of reference and the public tender being at the final phase.

The minister also predicted that the construction works are set to last 24 months.

She spoke of ongoing work on urban regulation for the historical city and Mbanza Kongo buffer zone, prepared by the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning, to allow the protection of the characters and historical aspects that make it a world heritage.

The Session discussed the specific recommendations of UNESCO on Mbanza Congo, in view of the deadline to deliver the Report to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, set for December 01, 2020.

The National Multi-sector Commission for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage was created in March 2018.

Among other assignments, the Commission is tasked with keeping and promoting the participatory management of the National Cultural Heritage and to adequate the legal instruments intended to protect the assets listed as National and World Cultural Heritage.

Original source can be found here.