President João Lourenço Honors Haim Taib with Angola’s Peace and Development Medal for Three Decades of Partnership and Progress
As part of the national celebrations marking 50 years of Angola’s independence, the Government of Angola has honored individuals and partners who have made exceptional contributions to the country’s development and progress. Among those recognized, H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, awarded Haim Taib, Founder and President of the Menomadin and Mitrelli Group (https://Mitrelli.com/), the Peace and Development Medal (Classe Paz e Desenvolvimento), in acknowledgment of his long-standing partnership with Angola and his contribution to strengthening the nation’s economic and social foundations.
Haim Taib is a businessman, investor, and philanthropist, with over 40 years of experience, more than 35 in Africa building a powerful value chain of companies and initiative. For more than 35 years, he has worked and led over 100 national-scale projects and mobilized investments that have improved lives and supported sustainable growth across the continent.
Arriving in Angola in 1991, during the civil war, Taib recognized the country’s resilience and potential, beginning his work in the country with a vision to transform peace into progress and hope into opportunity, mobilizing financial and human resources and contributing to the country during such economic and socially challenging period. Following the war, joining different sides of the conflict with a share purpose, he succeeded in implementing a self-sustaining communities based on food production. The initiative Aldeia Nova became a symbol of peace and a new chapter for agri-industrial development.
From that foundation, Taib led the next phase of growth, through his ecosystem of companies, including Mitrelli, Luminar, Menomadin and JETA, becoming a strategic partner of Angola for major sectors for human development: water, food security, energy, and housing, followed by education, healthcare, and technology, implementing major national solutions as water for all, advanced hospitals, entrepreneur centers, vocational schools, launching major operation in telecommunication (mobile and satellite and TV broadcast) and social impact. Lately, relevant projects of new centralities and Science Center became another reference of his mission, laying the foundations for inclusive growth.
In 2025, building on three decades of partnership, he co-founded the Lobito Corridor Impact Development (LCID) Platform together with Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, a USD 1 billion private-sector-led initiative, with USD 100 million already committed. The platform represents a new generation of financing mechanisms that blend public purpose with private capital, unlocking infrastructure, trade, agriculture, and education across Angola, the DRC, and Zambia.
None of this would have been possible without the partnership and trust of the Government of Angola, local authorities, business and financial partners, and the many communities and employees who opened their doors and hearts to work together. Over the years, these projects have created tens of thousands of jobs, brought electricity and water to millions, built new homes and hospitals, and empowered youth through innovation, education and culture. Their dedication is what turns vision into real impact and progress into everyday life.
Taib social development vision is embodied in the Fundação Arte e Cultura, empowering young Angolans through art, education, and culture. As Angola celebrates 50 years of independence, the Classe Paz e Desenvolvimento medal honors Haim Taib’s enduring contribution to the nation’s peace and development.
“This recognition belongs as much to the people of Angola as it does to me,” said Haim Taib. “It is a tribute to our shared belief that when people can dream, they can create. They can change. They can build their future with their own hands. I share this honor with everyone in our Group, the wonderful people whose dedication, values, and belief in this vision have brought it to life and continue to do so every day.”
Ceremony video: https://apo-opa.co/484faxn
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mitrelli Group.
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About Mitrelli:
Mitrelli (https://Mitrelli.com/), a Swiss-based international company with over a decade of profound impact in Africa, has been collaborating closely with African leadership, governments, businesses, and communities, investing in and implementing innovative, holistic, and sustainable national-scale solutions. To date, the company has over 100 national-scale projects implemented across the continent, spanning housing, water, food, and energy—as well as key societal accelerators such as education, healthcare, and technology. To learn more, visit us at https://Mitrelli.com/.
