Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses how the post-war political settlement in Angola influenced the infrastructure (re)construction process and led to the creation of further productive capabilities, critical in processes of capitalist transformation, in the production of cement and steel.

Paper long abstract:

The dominant narrative on post-war Angola suggests that, a move towards the non-mineral sector by Angola's ruling elite is simply a move intended to advance its accumulation and rent-seeking strategies. In this paper, I will argue that even though that is a plausible explanation, nevertheless it fails to reasonably explain why the ruling elite would do so when there are still natural resources to exploit. It does not tell us how this is being done as well as nothing is said about the spill over effects. As consequence, the argument fails to examine the outcomes as well as to investigate the possible implications for the wider desire for economic diversification away from mineral resources.

This paper addresses these problems through an analysis of the evolution of the Political Settlement, since independence till the present, and a retroduction methodology based on a case-study method, as its main analytical tool, using data collected during a 14-month fieldwork in Angola. Central to this analysis is how post-war infrastructure (re)construction led to further investments of, but not limited to, the ruling elite in the construction material manufacturing leading to the creation of further productive capabilities, critical in processes of capitalist transformation. However, the absence of policies likely to promote a better insertion of local content in many public works projects and export of the extra production capacity to foreign markets, hinder the benefits of the current investments thus representing an opportunity that needs to be further exploited.