by: Jessica Ferreira
Angolan President, João Lourenço, approved the signing of a USD 273.5 million contract between the country and Kedacom, a Chinese video surveillance company founded in Suzhou, eastern China, according to reports.
The contract will allow the Angolan Interior Ministry to develop its plans for the Integrated Public Security Centers (CISP), Africa Intelligence reported.
In a project led by the Interior Minister, Eugénio Laborinho, the centers are intended to combat crime in Angola’s main cities, with the first being inaugurated in Luanda in 2019.
Kedacom, which specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of video systems, will supply all the equipment, software and infrastructure needed to run the CISPs.
The contract was originally awarded to another Chinese consortium, Beijing Global Safety Technology Co (BGSTC), also known as GSafety, which was labeled a spin-off from the public safety department of Tsinghua University, considered close to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
GSafety’s main shareholders include the investment funds of Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Holdings and Tsinghua Holdings Venture Capital, as well as the state-owned company China Telecom.
