1.  Since its foundation in 2018, Afrizona has expanded from technology and electronic security services into cybersecurity and locally developed digital solutions. Which milestones best show the company’s transformation and growing role in Angola?

Erick Camargo:
Afrizona initially began in 2018 as an electronic security company that also focuses on digital security solutions tailored to the security needs of the Angolan market.

The digitalization of the banking sector and the administrative modernization of public services further reinforced the need for us to invest in training and technology.

The vision guiding our founding has always been the development of homegrown technologies and solutions to address challenges at the national, African, and—potentially—global levels.

Today, we have two essential areas. One is cybersecurity, through our risk, security and quality department.

At the moment, we still license cybersecurity solutions from foreign partners. But we are also trying to develop an Angolan cybersecurity solution, developed by Afrizona. That is our objective.

In software development, today, we currently have three software solutions. The first is MaxAlerts, which has three modules: a security module, an infrastructure module and a module for managing ATMs and deposit machines. This last module is for banks.

We also have GRS, which stands for Gestão de Rondas e Supervisão, or rounds and supervision management. It is an application for private security companies that need to secure perimeters. We created an application that automates this process. Security agents often need to carry out perimeter rounds at night, and many times they do not do so because they fall asleep or for other reasons. This solution helps control and automate that work.

We also have LobbyYami, an application used mainly in building lobbies to manage visitors, parking lots and residential complexes.

These are the solutions we are talking about. We have them implemented with banking partners and other clients. We do not like to disclose the names of some clients, but this gives you an idea.

Today, we also manage the network operations center of some clients. Companies that operate with internet, digital processes and network systems need a monitoring room for those network operations to ensure security. We manage this on an outsourcing basis.

We have resources, including teams of around 15 to 20 people, who work at client facilities.

2. Afrizona now serves strategic sectors including banking, industry, energy, oil and gas, and private security. Which figures best demonstrate its current scale in clients, projects, revenue, market reach and operational performance?

Erick Camargo:
In terms of numbers, Afrizona is fortunate because we have a diversified client portfolio.

Some of these clients are recurring clients, meaning we have an ongoing supply relationship with them and constant supply contracts. Others are clients that buy from us occasionally, whenever there is a need.

As I said, we have relationships with companies in the oil and gas sector, banking, industry, energy and private security. We are very present in the banking sector. We have around three banking clients that buy from us frequently, and we have contracts, including outsourcing contracts, with some of them.

We also work with hotels and have projects with some hotel units.

In terms of revenue, we will not provide exact figures. But we can say that Afrizona has been able to generate enough to finance its expansion projects. The commercial relationship we have with our client portfolio, and the volume of business we have managed to capture, have been sufficient for us to expand our services and operations.

Interviewer:
When we speak about numbers, we are not necessarily asking for exact numbers. For example, you could say whether, from 2018 until now, you have grown 2%, 20% or 10% in expansion, clients or sales.

Erick Camargo:
In terms of client portfolio, we currently have more than 300 clients. Around 30% of those clients are active clients with whom we have a frequent relationship.

In terms of growth, from 2018 until now, for example in economic growth and revenue, we have grown exponentially, with increasingly larger contracts. I would say our revenue has grown by around 60% to 80% compared to what it was in 2018.

Interviewer:
And how many employees do you have?

Erick Camargo:
Approximately 100 employees. We have people working internally, in the administrative area, we have the technical team, and then we have workers allocated to outsourcing contracts.

We have around 35 workers under outsourcing arrangements. Together with our internal staff and technical team, we are at approximately more than 80 workers in total.

3. At ANGOTIC 2026, Afrizona presented MaxAlerts, a platform that combines remote monitoring, real-time alarms, automated reports and operational control. How was this technology developed, and what measurable value is it creating for clients?

Erick Camargo:
MaxAlerts is an alarm platform initially developed to monitor the security and infrastructure status of our clients, whether companies or residences.

Currently, it has three modules. The security module allows, for example, the detection of intruders in a perimeter. The infrastructure module allows users to monitor whether a house or facility has grid power, whether the generator is working, and to measure fluids, fuel and water. In other words, it monitors the entire infrastructure aspect of a home or facility, including temperature and humidity.

That was the initial reason why we developed MaxAlerts.

MaxAlerts is a SaaS platform, Software as a Service. That means that the entire technical infrastructure, servers and physical component are under our management. The client only has credentials for the cloud version. The client enters the platform with its entity and credentials and can use the platform, but all the physical infrastructure is ours.

In other words, the client does not have to invest in servers or physical infrastructure. To use MaxAlerts, the client pays an annual license, and we provide the whole physical component and maintenance.

We evolved MaxAlerts from a security and infrastructure platform into a solution for managing ATMs and deposit machines because of the close relationship we have with the banking sector.

ATMs are currently one of the very profitable segments for banks. Whenever a person uses a bank card at an ATM belonging to another bank, there is a transaction fee between the banks. So ATMs are now a business segment, and that is also why banking institutions invest in them.

We saw the need to create a system that allows more effective management of ATMs. Treasury teams are responsible for supplying ATMs with cash and paper for transactions. Until then, there was no alarm system that could say exactly how much money was available, whether there was too much or too little, whether there was any issue with the card slot, the receiver, the cash dispenser or the paper dispenser, or whether there was paper or not.

So we developed an application that pulls information from the bank’s systems. We have a web version and a mobile version. This allows treasurers and those responsible for replenishing ATMs to receive alerts: the ATM has little paper, the ATM has an anomaly, the ATM is out of service, or the exact amount of money in the ATM.

That was the major update we made to MaxAlerts, and we have it licensed by some banks.

Interviewer:
Congratulations.

Erick Camargo:
Thank you very much.

4. ANGOTIC 2026 brought together 117 companies and more than 180 startups, creating new opportunities for collaboration across Angola’s digital ecosystem. Which partnerships have been most important to Afrizona, and what new partners would you like to attract?

Interviewer:
Which partnerships have been most important for Afrizona? And which partnerships would you like to attract? Also, do you have plans to expand, especially now that you are developing systems for banks? Would you like to take these solutions to other places in the region?

Erick Camargo:
When you mention partnerships, are you referring to partnerships created at ANGOTIC?

Interviewer:
Not necessarily. Any partnership you think is important to highlight.

Erick Camargo:
ANGOTIC is always an opportunity for partnership and strategic connection. But in our experience — this was our third or fourth participation at ANGOTIC — the results come gradually. They do not appear immediately.

We closed some possibilities for partnerships with public institutions and private institutions, where there may be mutual benefit. But there is still a lot to discuss. We need to sit down. Some discussions have already started. There is a negotiation process to understand how Afrizona can contribute and add value.

In terms of expansion, what we are really looking for — and this also answers some of the questions that come later — is national production and seeking to establish partnerships with companies and institutions in African countries in the region—such as Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa—that share essentially the same vision of digital independence from Western solutions.

Unfortunately, in Angola, in electronic security, cybersecurity and technology, what Angolan companies currently do is resell foreign products and services. We import, resell, install and configure.

Our objective is national production. We want to manufacture solutions.

For example, in CCTV equipment, we already have our own brand. We already have a product line of cameras and recorders under the MaxAlerts name, the same name as our application. All the technical specifications were designed here at Afrizona, and we have an Asian manufacturing partner that only assembled the product, that´s a start, maybe tomorrow this process will be made here, employing young people in the manufacturing process.

Interviewer:
You would be pioneers in that, and it is always better because nobody understands the country’s challenges better than those who are in the country. Some solutions may be very good but not necessarily applicable to the market. I think that vision is definitely the best for the country.

Erick Camargo:
In terms of national production, yes. Our commitment is to work so that we can have a national product, and not only national, but one that, in terms of quality, is comparable to foreign solutions.

That is the great concern. Angolan institutions themselves still have some distrust of what is Angolan in terms of quality, especially in technology. We do not produce technology; we import technology.

So what we want is to have solutions that guarantee the same quality and confidence, so the Angolan market can absorb them. And not only Angola — perhaps we can develop solutions that can later be resold abroad.

It would be doing the opposite: instead of bringing products here, we would take them out to other markets.

5. Afrizona’s mission connects intelligent technology with sustainable development, while its monitoring systems can improve the control and continuity of critical infrastructure. What is the company doing to reduce its environmental impact and promote responsible technology practices?

Erick Camargo:
Entering a little into our ESG policies, I can say that Afrizona is an ecologically responsible company.

One of our internal policies is that we use very little paper. Paper is used only for what is essential.

For example, our entire documentary archive is in the cloud. Our signatures are digital. We keep our documents in the cloud and only print what is necessary, such as when a client insists that something must be printed or delivered in physical format.

The rest is all stored digitally. We store little paper and destroy little paper.

The technological solutions we buy and install for our clients are modern, and we make sure they have low energy consumption. In cameras and electronic security equipment, for example, we always choose low-energy-consumption solutions.

The most modern solutions already have this component. International manufacturers themselves now have this policy, and they provide low-energy products. Those are the ones we prefer.

Another aspect, still connected to sustainability and responsible technology practices, is adapting our practices to the law. There are two important laws: the data protection law and the video surveillance law. We always seek to adapt our services to these legal requirements.

This even appears in our commercial proposals. For example, the video surveillance law does not allow an employer to install cameras only to control workers secretly. Whenever someone enters a space that is being monitored, there must be signage.

We include this in our proposals. We recommend it, and we inform and train our clients. We explain that the service they want must be adapted because there is a law that governs it.

So we also contribute to cyber literacy and legal awareness around technology and security.

6. Afrizona recently completed fire-brigade training focused on prevention, emergency response and protecting people and assets. How are you extending this commitment through community programmes, local talent development and measurable ESG results?

Erick Camargo:
In terms of community projects, Afrizona, from the point of view of corporate social responsibility, has periodically opened professional training internships for young people.

These internships have been free. Our objective is to train young people and provide know-how in systems and technology.

We train young people and award certifications. We have a training arm called AfriLearning Academy. It is the training side of Afrizona.

We have a training center focused on technology, IT, software development and electronic security. From time to time, we receive young people at our academy and provide these free training programs.

The objective is for these young people to enter the labor market better prepared and promote the digital inclusion of young women in the technology and digital market, which is still heavily male-dominated.

 That has been our community support, in addition to other small gestures and donations we sometimes make, for example: to the oncology institute.

But the most symbolic contribution for us, within our area of activity, is to train young people free of charge.

Our training center is usually paid; it is also a business. But from time to time, we open internships for young people, announce them through LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, receive some young people, train them, award certifications and help them go into the labor market better prepared.

Interviewer:
When we send the interview for your approval, if you can also give us more numbers, such as how many people, students or young people you have trained since 2018, that would be useful.

Erick Camargo:
AfriLearning Academy is more recent. It has been operating for around four to five years.

Since then, in terms of training in general, including young people who pay and those who participate in other programs, we must have trained more than 2,000 young people over four or five years.

7. Angola’s new cybersecurity strategy and its broader digital transformation agenda are increasing demand for secure local technology. What are Afrizona’s main plans for investment, new solutions, expansion and value creation over the next few years?

Interviewer:
What is at the top of your priorities in terms of investment, new solutions, expansion and value creation over the next few years?

Erick Camargo:
Our expansion project is precisely focused on national production and on investing in a national cybersecurity solution.

We want to secure more contracts, employ more people and try to internationalize our solutions.

8. Your work at Afrizona places you at the intersection of business development, electronic security and locally created technology at an important moment for Angola’s digital economy. What has shaped your leadership, and what legacy would you like to build through Afrizona?

Erick Camargo:
What moves us, and what moves me personally and the entire Afrizona team, is our desire to make Angola a reference on the African continent in digital transformation. That is our objective.

In terms of leadership, because we are a young company, made up largely of young people, we work a lot based on creativity.

Leading a team of very creative people tends to be easier. We set goals. People know what they have to do. Every day is a learning process and an exchange of experiences.

So our leadership — my leadership in particular — is more liberal. I have a creative team. In this type of company, in the technology sector, a very rigid, authoritarian or autocratic leadership style would limit brilliant minds.

We work with software development, and we need people who have the freedom to create, think and exchange experiences.

So leadership is more about setting goals and deadlines while allowing each person to creatively present solutions.

At the end of the day, the objective is to have software, to have a solution and to have a satisfied client. That is our main goal.

Our leadership is more liberal than in most companies because, as a technology company, we work with many people who have creative capacity. That is our leadership mark.