Angola's edible-oil trade has an interesting feature: a large part of the oil entering the country is already tied to refining, packaging and local manufacturing. In 2024, edible oil importers in Angola sourced 100.42 million kg of non-crude palm oil and liquid fractions, worth about $100.28 million. Malaysia supplied 57.50 million kg and Indonesia another 40.57 million kg. India was also present, with about 414,117 kg.
Then there is soybean oil. Angola imported 89.10 million kg under HS 1507, valued at roughly $125.45 million. Argentina supplied the largest share, followed by Portugal, Malaysia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Crude palm oil was smaller at 26.39 million kg, worth around $30.92 million. Malaysia remained the biggest source, while Liberia supplied a sizable quantity as well.
The numbers tell us something useful about the market.
Angola is not relying on one oil, or even one type of supplier. Palm oil is important, soybean oil is substantial, and there is a separate trade in sunflower oil and modified vegetable fats.
More importantly, some of the companies buying these products are not simply importing cooking oil and sending it to supermarkets. They are connected to refineries, packaging operations and wider food businesses.
| Edible Oil / Product | 2024 Import Quantity | 2024 Import Value | Important Supply Origins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm oil & liquid fractions, non-crude - HS 151190 | 100.42 million kg | $100.28 million | Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore |
| Crude palm oil - HS 151110 | 26.39 million kg | $30.92 million | Malaysia, Liberia, Indonesia |
| Soybean oil - HS 1507 | 89.10 million kg | $125.45 million | Argentina, Portugal, Malaysia |
| Crude soybean oil - HS 150710 | 69.77 million kg | $97.09 million | Argentina, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands |
| Sunflower/safflower oil, non-crude - HS 151219 | 2.21 million kg | $1.72 million | Turkey, Brazil, Portugal, Congo |
| Crude sunflower/safflower oil - HS 151211 | 239,002 kg | $569,790 | Portugal, Netherlands |
| Hydrogenated/modified vegetable fats and oils - HS 1516 | 48.25 million kg | $57.51 million | Indonesia, Malaysia, Congo, India |
Source: WITS / UN Comtrade, 2024.
The palm-oil trade is heavily concentrated around Malaysia and Indonesia.
For non-crude palm oil, Malaysia supplied roughly 57.50 million kg , while Indonesia supplied 40.57 million kg . Together, they accounted for almost the entire reported import volume.
Soybean oil follows another route. Argentina supplied 43.10 million kg of crude soybean oil in 2024, while Portugal supplied 16.47 million kg. Italy and the Netherlands each supplied about 5 million kg.
Sunflower oil is much smaller in comparison. Angola imported around 2.21 million kg of non-crude sunflower/safflower oil , with Turkey supplying about 1.02 million kg. Brazil, Portugal and the Republic of Congo also appear in the trade.
There is one more category that shouldn't be overlooked: hydrogenated and otherwise modified vegetable fats and oils . Angola's 2024 imports under HS 1516 were worth about $57.51 million , with Indonesia and Malaysia accounting for most of the reported value. India supplied around 1.02 million kg , worth approximately $1.27 million.
That last category is particularly relevant to food manufacturers because these products can go into bakery fats, confectionery, margarine and other processed-food applications.
Angola's buyer records show a fairly active trade around palm olein and vegetable cooking oil.
Recent shipment data identifies 114 buyers and 1,077 shipments for palm olein and cooking oil, with 71 buyers active between July 2024 and June 2025.
But there is an oddity here.
Some of the biggest names appearing in Angola's shipment records are actually international companies based outside Angola . They are recorded as buyers or consignees for cargo destined for the Angolan market.
That is why company nationality and shipment destination should not be treated as the same thing.
At the same time, Angola has its own local processing businesses. The newly established Rafinole, for example, operates a vegetable-oil refinery in Luanda with a stated refining capacity of 400 tonnes per day . It processes crude soybean oil and crude palm oil and also reprocesses palm olein and blends stearin with olein. Its bulk-oil storage near the port can accommodate up to 12,600 tonnes.
That gives the buyer side a very different shape from a simple importer-distributor model.
Angola's edible-oil buyer landscape is a mix of local refiners, food manufacturers, distributors and international trading companies supplying the African market. Some companies buy crude oils for refining, while others deal in palm olein, vegetable oils, margarine and finished cooking-oil products.
| Company | Relevant Oil / Business Activity | Trade Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Rafinole | Crude soybean oil, crude palm oil, palm olein, stearin, vegetable oils and fats | One of the clearest industrial buyers in Angola. Its Luanda refinery processes imported crude soybean and palm oils and also reprocesses palm olein. |
| Ngo Chew Hong Edible Oil | Palm-based cooking oils, vegetable oils, vegetable ghee, soft oils and specialty fats | Singapore-based edible-oil business with a customer base spanning more than 100 countries and a strong African market presence. |
| Sierra Palm Product DMCC | Palm oil, vegetable oil, margarine and mass-market cooking oils | Dubai-based business focused on supplying consumer products through partners across Africa, making it relevant to Angola's imported palm-oil and cooking-oil trade. |
| Wilmar International | Palm oil, palm olein, palm stearin, soybean and other vegetable oils | Major global processor and merchandiser of palm and lauric oils, with manufacturing and distribution operations across Africa and international supply networks. |
| ICC Oils and Fats | Palm olein, palm oil, cooking oil, shortening and specialty fats | International oils-and-fats trader with a long-standing African market presence and a broad portfolio suited to food manufacturing and consumer-oil markets. |
| Angoalissar | Imported food products and FMCG distribution | A major Angola-focused importer and distributor within the Webcor Group, with an extensive wholesale and distribution network covering multiple provinces. |
Rafinole is particularly relevant because its business model is built around converting imported vegetable oils into products for the Angolan market. The company says its refinery can process 400 metric tonnes of oil per day , including degummed crude soybean oil and crude palm oil, while also reprocessing palm olein and blending stearin with olein. Its sourcing network extends to South America and North America for soybean oil, while palm olein and stearin are sourced from Malaysia and Indonesia.
Its logistics setup is equally interesting. Rafinole has bulk-oil storage close to the Port of Luanda, with a direct pipeline connection between the terminal and storage facilities. The company states that the port facility can accommodate up to 12,600 tonnes of bulk oil , primarily crude soybean oil and RBD palm olein.
This makes Rafinole a particularly relevant name for exporters supplying bulk crude soybean oil, crude palm oil, RBD palm olein and related vegetable-oil inputs.
Ngo Chew Hong Edible Oil operates from Singapore but has a much wider international customer base. The company says its business reaches more than 100 countries and includes palm-based vegetable cooking oils, vegetable ghee, soft oils, lauric oils and bakery and confectionery fats. It also highlights a strong focus on local partnerships across its international markets.
For Angola, its relevance lies in the wider Singapore-to-Africa edible-oil supply chain , particularly for palm-based cooking oils and other processed fats.
Sierra Palm Product takes a different position in the market. The Dubai-based company describes itself as a business house developing and exporting mass-market consumer products through business partners across Africa. Palm oil is one of its core areas, alongside products such as soap noodles and FMCG goods. Its vegetable-oil portfolio includes cooking oil and margarine.
That makes Sierra Palm relevant to Angola particularly where the requirement is for consumer-oriented palm oil, vegetable oil and packaged cooking-oil products , rather than only refinery feedstock.
Wilmar International operates at a much larger scale. The company describes itself as a global leader in the processing and merchandising of palm and lauric oils, while also producing consumer-pack oils and operating manufacturing and distribution businesses across Africa.
Its edible-oil operations cover products ranging from crude palm oil to RBD palm oil, palm olein and palm stearin. Wilmar also processes oilseeds including soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, groundnut, sesame and cottonseed.
For exporters looking at Angola, a company of this scale is relevant mainly as part of the international trading, refining and distribution network that supplies African markets.
ICC Oils and Fats has been active in the international palm-oil and palm-kernel-oil trade since 2004. Its portfolio includes palm olein, cooking oil, margarine, shortening and specialty fats, with the company describing Africa as one of its core markets.
This gives it relevance beyond conventional cooking oil. Buyers operating in food manufacturing, bakery, frying, margarine and other processed-food applications can have requirements for specific palm fractions and specialty fats , rather than simply generic vegetable oil.
On the domestic side, Angoalissar is worth mentioning because of its role in Angola's food-import and distribution system. Webcor describes Angoalissar as a leading importer of products into Angola, operating across 12 provinces with 88 distribution points, including wholesale depots and cash-and-carry outlets.
It is therefore relevant when looking beyond the refinery gate. Imported edible oils ultimately have to move through wholesalers, distributors, modern retail and foodservice channels, and companies with established distribution infrastructure can play an important role in that chain.
Palm olein is one of the most active products in the shipment records.
Volza's latest data identifies 92 RBD palm-olein buyers and 879 shipments linked to Angola, with 60 buyers active between July 2024 and June 2025.
The actual shipments show quite a range of formats.
Some cargo arrives as large quantities of RBD palm olein. Other consignments are already packed into 20-litre or 25-litre jerrycans for the cooking-oil market. There are also industrial fats and palm-kernel products moving into the country.
The main product categories include:
Soybean oil deserves particular attention. Angola imported 69.77 million kg of crude soybean oil in 2024, mostly from Argentina and Portugal.
That makes Angola unusual among some African edible-oil markets where palm oil dominates almost everything.
Here, soybean oil is a major commercial stream in its own right.
| HS Code | Product |
|---|---|
| 1507 | Soybean oil and its fractions |
| 1509 | Olive oil |
| 1511 | Palm oil and its fractions |
| 1512 | Sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oils |
| 1513 | Coconut, palm-kernel and babassu oils |
| 1514 | Rapeseed, colza and mustard oils |
| 1515 | Other fixed vegetable oils |
| 1516 | Hydrogenated or otherwise modified vegetable fats and oils |
| 1517 | Margarine and edible preparations of fats and oils |
For Angola, HS 1507 and HS 1511 are particularly important. Together they cover the country's large soybean-oil and palm-oil import streams.
There is also a regulatory reason to pay attention to the exact classification and form of the oil. Angola introduced new rules in 2025 governing selected pre-packaged imports, including specific provisions for crude oils.
Most exporters looking at Angola will encounter the Port of Luanda first.
The port describes itself as Angola's main seaport and says approximately 80% of the country's imports and exports move through it. Its location in the country's most populous and economically active region gives it a natural role in food and consumer-goods distribution.
For edible oil, the industrial connection is even more obvious.
Rafinole's refinery and bulk-oil storage facilities are located near the Port of Luanda, with a direct pipeline connection to the terminal for transferring oil into storage tanks. The company says its port-side storage can hold up to 12,600 tonnes of bulk oil .
So in Angola, the port is not merely the point where the cargo enters the country.
For a bulk-oil supplier, the port and the buyer's storage infrastructure can be part of the same logistics equation.
A container carrying packaged cooking oil and a bulk shipment destined for a refinery are two very different movements, even if both are described broadly as edible-oil imports.
Angola's import rules are worth checking carefully because the country has been changing the way selected food products enter the market.
Under Executive Decree No. 393/25 , which entered into force on 1 July 2025 , Angola established new rules for selected pre-packaged products. The regulation specifically states that, for listed oilseeds and oils including soybean, palm, sunflower, safflower and several others, only crude oil imported in Big Boxes is permitted under the relevant provision.
That is a major commercial detail for an exporter.
The 2024 trade data contains substantial imports of refined and non-crude oils because those shipments predate the 2025 rules. The current regulatory position therefore needs to be considered separately from the historical import figures.
Angola also requires food imports to undergo quality testing during customs clearance. Edible oil importers in Angola need appropriate registration and import licensing for sensitive categories such as food, while customs documentation includes the commercial invoice, customs declaration, packing list and other shipping documents.
Then there is the language requirement.
Imported products sold in Angola are required to carry Portuguese-language labelling , including information such as ingredients, expiry date, quantity, production batch, manufacturer or seller details and country of origin. Trade guidance also states that imported products must have at least six months of remaining shelf life.
Angola uses Codex Alimentarius standards as part of its food-safety framework, while food imports can undergo laboratory testing at the port of entry.
For edible-oil suppliers, therefore, the product format is not a small detail. Crude versus refined, bulk versus packaged, and the intended downstream use can all affect the import process.
The answer depends heavily on what happens to the oil after it arrives.
A refinery may want crude soybean oil or crude palm oil in bulk. A distributor may want RBD palm olein already packed into jerrycans. A food manufacturer could be interested in hydrogenated fats or specialty palm fractions instead.
The specification can include:
There is also a very visible sourcing pattern behind the market.
Malaysia and Indonesia dominate Angola's palm-oil imports. Argentina is the leading source of crude soybean oil. Turkey is the largest supplier of non-crude sunflower/safflower oil in the 2024 data.
A new supplier is therefore entering an established network.
But the buyer may not necessarily be looking for another generic cooking-oil supplier. A refinery may need a particular crude feedstock. A distributor may have a specific jerrycan format. A food manufacturer may require a specialty fat.
The product requirement usually tells you more than the word importer does.
Angola's edible-oil trade has enough scale to support bulk transactions, but the buyer requirement needs to be clear from the beginning.
A refinery looking for crude soybean oil is dealing with a very different transaction from a company importing RBD palm olein in 20-litre or 25-litre jerrycans.
Tradologie provides direct B2B trade negotiation opportunities where the edible oil sellers can quote prices and the buyers can negotiate and give counteroffers.
All this is done through real-time live negotiation mechanisms on the bulk import requirement, which is raised by the edible oil buyer.
This content is for general informational purposes and is based on the trade, buyer and regulatory information provided in the source material. Historical 2024 import figures should not be treated as current purchasing requirements, particularly because Angola introduced new rules for selected pre-packaged oils in 2025. Exporters should independently verify current regulations, buyer requirements, product specifications and import procedures before shipment.
Angola imported 100.42 million kg of non-crude palm oil, 89.10 million kg of soybean oil and 26.39 million kg of crude palm oil in 2024.
Malaysia and Indonesia dominate palm-oil supply, while Argentina is the leading source of crude soybean oil. Turkey was the largest supplier of non-crude sunflower/safflower oil in the 2024 data.
The source highlights Rafinole, Ngo Chew Hong Edible Oil, Sierra Palm Product, Wilmar International, ICC Oils and Fats and Angoalissar among relevant companies.
The market includes crude and refined palm oil, RBD palm olein, palm stearin, palm-kernel oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, hydrogenated vegetable fats and specialty fats.
The Port of Luanda is Angola's main seaport and handles a large share of the country's imports and exports. Rafinole's refinery and bulk-oil storage facilities are also located near the port.
Exporters should check the applicable rules for crude versus refined oil and bulk versus packaged shipments. Requirements can include food testing, import registration and licensing, customs documents, Portuguese-language labelling and applicable shelf-life requirements.
