A Brazilian business executive with Japanese heritage first found himself in Angola in the middle of a protracted bloody Civil War that became a war field for the West and East in the years of the Cold war. A major world crisis that Valdomiro Minoru Dondo was keen on bringing reasonable solutions to. This blog is all about how the Brazillian/Japanese “Survivor” is Reshaping Angola – Valdomiro.
“My interest in Angola was accidental,” says Vladomiro Minoru Dondo. He told us his tale, telling us how he was working in Brazil for a trading company (associated with Disco). His primary client was a coffee importer in Russia. They were suggesting that instead of cash payment, the company would pay with vodka for the instant coffee. He found a Canadian company that wanted a piece of this pie, though – they wanted vodka, and instead of cash, they would pay in the form of high-end telecommunications satellites.
A unique but complicated transaction was set up. Mobilizing the resources for the purchases and the logistics to deliver the goods and services, Mr. Minoru utilized his experience and networks. During this time, the Russians had a strong military presence and relationship with the Angolan government. Since the vodka was going through Angola, it caught the government’s eye. They wanted a similar transaction and the Angolan government formally contracted Mr. Minoru. To see that the transaction was flawless, Mr. Minoru had to travel to Angola.
In 1984, Mr. Minoru permanently moved to Angola in the midst of the civil war, surviving through the adversities common in a war torn country. His experience as a commodities trader and his permanent presence in Angola helped him identify what the country needed, and his long-term vision and strategic foresight made him believe that the Angolan market had a potential many other business organizations would only participate if the current war circumstances did not exist.
It was not long after his first investment in Angola that he established the VMD Group, which now employs over Five thousand Angolan professionals. The first retail outlet called Bela Mall, a massive and modern structure in the heart of the Capital city Luanda is what brought attention to this little known but perceptive entrepreneur. International brands where now able to retail their goods and services in a modern outlet facility. The VMD Group has since established several of such facilities around the country.
Today, Mr. Valdomiro Minoru Dondo is one of the biggest contributors to the growing economy that Angola enjoys. A soft-spoken thoughtful speaker, he speaks with much knowledge on how the oil industry of Angola will be a major contributor of its economic growth through sustainable investment in diversifying the economy in other sectors specifically the agriculture and manufacturing industries. Mr. Minoru has recognized that the Angolan people are by culture a productive and hardworking people set back by the ravages of civil war but are now ready to do what is necessary to improve their standards of living – and put Angola on the world map as a major producer of industrial and agriculture exports. Mr. Valdomiru Minoru Dondo the survivor has the disposition of a Guru and speaks with informed authority based on his experience. A survivor and hero for his country Angola and for Reshaping Angola.
