Angola’s Financial and Criminal Landscape: Human Trafficking, Arms Smuggling, Cyber Crimes, and More

Angola, located in southwestern Africa, is known for its abundant natural resources. However, the country is facing a growing threat from various forms of financial and criminal activities.

Human Trafficking

Angola is a hotspot for human trafficking, with thousands of people falling prey to this illicit trade each year. Human trafficking is a significant issue that affects all sectors, including construction, agriculture, and diamond mining.

Victims: Victims of human trafficking in Angola often come from neighboring countries and beyond. Women, particularly from Asian and Latin American countries, are often trafficked into Angola for forced prostitution.
Child Trafficking: Child trafficking and exploitation are also common in Angola.
Destination Countries: Angolan citizens are trafficked to countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Portugal, and the Netherlands for labor and sexual use.
Growing Awareness: In recent years, reports of human trafficking in Angola have increased, indicating a growing awareness of and demand for exploited labor.

Trade

Angola faces several trade-related issues.

Illegal Arms Trade

Availability: Firearms are readily available in Angola and widely used by criminal networks involved in activities like robbery.
Cross-border Smuggling: Cross-border arms smuggling from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Namibia has been linked to state-embedded actors.
Arms in Cabinda: The arms used by secessionists in Angola’s oil-rich province of Cabinda are mainly sourced from these smuggled weapons.
Distribution: Efforts to control the distribution of weapons from the civil war era have faced criticism and pushback.

Counterfeit Goods

Lack of Intellectual Property Laws: Few intellectual property laws to protect goods make it difficult to monitor markets, making it easy for illicit items to flood the country.
Smuggling: Angola acts as a source and transit country for tobacco and alcohol, with excise goods from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Angola frequently smuggled between these countries.

Illegal Logging

Illegal logging, carried out by both unauthorized fellers and concession holders, is contributing to the loss of tree cover in Angola.

Asian Market: Asia is the primary destination for the illegally harvested timber, while Namibia serves as a transit country.
Endangered Wildlife: Angola’s endangered wildlife is under threat from commercial poaching.
Illegal Products: Ivory and rhino horn are among the most sought-after illegal products.
Transit Point: Angola is a potential transit point for the illegal lion and leopard trade.

Financial and Cyber Crimes

Angola is the African country most targeted by cyber criminals, with reported losses of USD$2.3 million in 2022.

Government Capacity: Despite efforts to improve the government’s capacity to combat cyber crimes, Angola lacks the resources to effectively manage this rapidly expanding criminal market.
Financial Crimes: Misappropriation of public funds, corruption, and fraud are the most common financial crimes in Angola.
Resources: Nearly USD$11 billion has been recovered after 715 criminal prosecutions for various financial crimes since 2019.
Informal Economy: The informal economy and lack of documentation contribute to the risk of financial crimes in Angola.

Criminal Actors

State-embedded actors continue to pose a significant threat to Angola, as several high-ranking officials have been charged with offenses like corruption, fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering.

Private Sector: Oil companies and banks are involved in the financial crime market as well, moving non-transparent funds and siphoning funds from accounts.
Involvment: Some officials are believed to be involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal logging and mining, and extortion.