Luanda - The Angola Press Agency (ANGOP), a public institution with juridical, administrative, financial and patrimonial status, will celebrate 34 years of its existence on Friday.

The country’s only press agency, Angop has as its task the gathering, processing and distribution of news on a basis of exclusivity, both locally and abroad.

It also provides an electronic point-to-point, Internet or e-mail news services either directly or otherwise to local and foreign media organs, based on agreed terms.

Established in July 1975 under the name of National Angola Press Agency (ANAP), the works were distributed in the form of bulletin until, on 30 October of that year, it launched its first telegraph dispatch, when the sigla "ANAP" led to the designation of Agencia NGOLA PRESS.

On December 2, 1975, the Agency adopted its present and final name "Agência Angola Press” by releasing its first dispatch under the acronym of "ANGOP”.

 
 
On February 1978, it was transformed into a State agency, through a presidential decree.
 

For 34 years, Angop scored significant progress that earned it international prestige, enabling it to lead, in the 80's the "Pool" of the news agencies of the non-aligned countries for three years and in 2000, a alliance of the agencies of the Portuguese Speaking Community (CPLP).

This prestige enabled the agency to win several national and international prizes, awarded by credible persons who daily analyze the work of the agency.

This year, the company was honoured under the Maboque Journalism Award, with the "Prestige Organ of the Year” prize for the excellence of its work.

In July 2009, it was also awarded the "Golden Lion" by the coverage of the 26th edition of the Luanda International Trade Fair.

For its services too, the agency was twice awarded the “International Gold Star for Quality” (1990 and 1992), by the Business Initiative Directions (BID), based in Madrid.
 

From the information point of view, Angop opted in 1991 to offer a 24 hour service and introduced some innovations. In February 2000,  the agency started its Internet service, thus becoming a means of more efficient distribution and direct contact with the public.

With the launch of the website, Angop recorded, in the first three months, an average of visits to the site’s home page of about 800 a day and about 300 of its 24 hours service one.

Its English service recorded a daily average of 150 visits and 40 to its 24 hours service page, while the French language daily visits averaged 110 to its home page and 37 to the 24 hours, in addition to other sections of the Site (Angola, Angop and Research).

This growth is associated with staff training, as a first step the agency admitted journalists with the 8th grade, a policy that has been changing over the times,  with the admission of some professionals from higher school of journalism, having currently a significant number of degree holders.
 

From the telex distribution system, Angop moved to the automatic system, on to computers, which allowed a greater access to high a information system.

 
 
In 2008, the company entered a new era, launching its information portal, which has raised its commitment to the public by gathering, processing and distributing news in real time. It also allows recipients to take from the service a more realistic information.
 

A member of the Pool of agencies of the Non-Aligned Movement since its inception, ANGOP took performed with great success, its presidency, from 1989 to 1992.
 

Currently, the Agency is an Angolan influential member of the Committee of Coordination of the Pool of News Agencies of the Non-Aligned Countries, which meets once a year. The Pool has over one hundred members.

ANGOP enjoys an excellent relationship with the Pan African News Agency "PANA", in the creation of which, it was relevant.

It also has relations with the news agencies of Portugal (Lusa), Cuba (Prensa Latina), France (AFP), China (Xinhua), Spain (Efe), Britain (Reuters) and others.