He will be Sweden's new ambassador in Angola
The Government recently appointed Bo Emthén as Ambassador in Angola. He looks forward to using his experience of marketing Sweden abroad to help Swedish companies advance their positions in the Angolan market.
Congratulations on the new job! How does it feel?
Thank you, I am very pleased to have been appointed and look forward to taking up the post as soon as possible.
What will be your most important task?
Bo Emthén has long experience of marketing Sweden. Photo: Pawel Flato
In the short term perspective, I will concentrate on leading EU work on site in Luanda during the Swedish Presidency. Otherwise, my main task will be to develop our economic and commercial contacts with Angola and to promote the interests of our companies in this growing market.
The Angolan government has far-reaching plans for the coming years involving development of the country's infrastructure in a variety of sectors where Swedish companies have the right expertise and products, such as telecommunications, transport, energy supply, health and medical care.
It is mainly the large Swedish companies that operate in the country, which is why we will make a special effort to try to also make more smaller companies aware of the market's potential.
Exports to Angola have increased dramatically in recent years, and reached just over SEK 1 billion last year. Exports during the first two months this year increased by 382 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year. So the situation looks very positive. As regards imports, we also note an interesting development with increasing volumes of crude oil that is refined here at home.
Which past experiences will you be able to make use of?
Even if it was a long time ago, I already feel that the total of seven years I spent in Brazil and Portugal will be of great help. My experience from the time I spent as Trade Commissioner at the Swedish Trade Council will also help me see how we can best pool the expertise and resources of the Embassy, the Swedish Trade Council, companies and other actors so as to create a good method to market Swedish companies in the market and advance their positions in Angola.
