Xuan Thien Group launches major agro-forestry push in Angola

Recently, Xuan Thien Group, one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing private conglomerates, has launched a large-scale agro-forestry programme in Angola as part of a long-term plan to build one of the country’s most modern and sustainable agricultural hubs.

Its subsidiary Agrostars Angola, a joint venture between Xuan Thien Group and Equity Group, has broken ground on an integrated agro-forestry complex in Xixila, Cuanza Sul. The multi-phase programme, valued at around US$750mn, is positioned to become one of the most significant private agricultural investments in Angola this decade.

At the centre of the project is a cassava starch production plant with an initial output of 220,000 tonnes per year, scaling up to 1.6mn tonnes as the complex expands. The site will also include a 200mn-pack instant noodle factory, a 100,000-tonne food-grade cassava flour mill, and a 400,000-tonne organic and bio-fertiliser plant that recycles cassava by-products into soil nutrients - a circular-economy model rarely seen in the region.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thien, Chairman of Xuan Thien Group, said at the groundbreaking: "Angola has the fundamentals to become a regional hub for agriculture and forestry. Agrostars is committed to supporting that journey through technology, investment and long-term partnership."

Agrostars plans to develop more than 500,000 hectares of cassava and commercial forestry plantations. A high-tech seedling production centre will be developed to produce hundred million seedlings annually. The integrated model aims to reduce Angola’s dependence on imported food and fertiliser while boosting exports of higher-value agriculture and forestry products.

The project is expected to create up to 95,000 direct and indirect jobs, driven by structured contracts linking Agrostars with smallholder cooperatives through guaranteed off-take agreements, training and access to improved varieties. Company executives describe the programme as a “de-risked value chain” that aligns investor returns with community benefits.

Environmental and sustainability standards form a central component of the project. Forestry operations will follow the forest certification and reduced carbon emission principles, and the fertiliser plant is expected to reduce emissions by replacing imported chemical inputs with organic alternatives. HSE and ESG frameworks are being benchmarked against global norms.

Diplomatically, the project marks one of the most prominent economic collaborations between Vietnam and Angola in recent years. Vietnam’s ambassador described Agrostars as a “lighthouse investment” that could set a benchmark for future Vietnamese capital inflows to Africa.

Xuan Thien Group and Equity Group are also in discussions with the Angolan government to establish a special agro-forestry economic zone covering up to 6.8mn hectares across several provinces. If approved, the zone would offer streamlined regulations and long-term land security aimed at attracting multinational agribusinesses and processors.

In Angola, agriculture contributes less than 10 per cent of GDP despite abundant arable land. The Agrostars project represents a rare convergence of scale, industrial capacity and sustainability credentials. For Xuan Thien Group, it signals a broader ambition to become a long-term player in Africa’s emerging green-industrial landscape.