International Marketing and Comparative Advantage: An Assessment of Angola’s Export Portfolio

Abstract

The authors have highlighted the role of the export market in Angola and investigated the country’s comparative advantage in products other than Oil and Diamonds, which are currently reported to account for over 80% of the nation’s GDP. The information provided is aimed at the facilitation of product diversification in Angola’s export portfolio which is currently thin. The authors found that Angola has comparative advantage in 351 product lines. The highest comparative advantage (178.8) is for powders/flakes of aluminum of lamellar structure. Diamonds and oil were not among the top 50 products on the basis of revealed comparative advantage. The authors concluded that because Angola has comparative advantage in a wide range of product lines other than oil and diamonds, the country should improve its business operating environment and embark on strategic international marketing to increase earnings from its endowment. They recommended that Angola’s export development programme should contribute to equal distribution of wealth and that the government should enact laws and commit itself to stamping out corruption.