What Imbono does

Imbono is a Dubai-headquartered investor-operator platform that finances, builds, and runs strategic national infrastructure across emerging markets, with a sector focus on energy, water, food security, and social infrastructure. Formally launched in February 2026, it consolidates the prior Gemcorp ICS and Gemcorp Angola entities into a single integrated structure under the Gemcorp Group umbrella, with regional hubs in Luanda (Angola), Kinshasa (DRC), and London, and a deployed-capital footprint of US$8.7 billion+ across 25+ countries.

The platform's core asset is the Cabinda Oil Refinery — Angola's first new refinery since independence, operated by Imbono under a 90/10 joint venture with Sonangol, targeting 60,000 barrels per day. Beyond energy, Imbono's project portfolio includes three large water treatment and drought combat initiatives in Angola (Águas de Benguela, Quilonga Grande, Cunene) collectively serving several million people, the Américo Boavida Hospital modernization in Luanda, and the Quizenga agro-industrial hub for maize, soybeans, and beans. Sub-brands ACQUA, Kuena, NextGem, and Ekoar extend the platform into water operations, CSR, graduate development, and socio-environmental education.

Imbono generates revenue through three principal streams: long-dated operational management contracts and equity stakes in infrastructure assets (including the refinery and water facilities), trading and sourcing of essential commodities (oil, food, medical supplies), and project development fees under public-private partnership structures. Pricing is negotiated project-by-project with government counterparties and development finance institution syndicates such as AFC, Afreximbank, IDC, BADEA, and BFA. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by long-term government relationships and permanent in-country operational presence rather than distributed or channel-based distribution.

Name

Imbono

Legal name

Imbono

Website

https://imbono.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Imbono is a Dubai-headquartered investor-operator platform that finances, builds, and runs strategic infrastructure — including refineries, water treatment, hospitals, and agro-industrial hubs — across emerging markets, primarily for the Government of Angola and other African sovereigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Infrastructure Investment & Operations

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111), Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Wholesale-Petroleum Bulk Stations & Terminals (5171), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure & Project Finance Facilities (BPADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oil & Gas Facilities Asset Management (Refining/Terminals/LNG) (EUAEAMAG), Maintenance & Reliability (RCM, Work Management, Spares) (EUANALAH)

Keywords

• Strategic infrastructure investment
• Emerging markets operations
• Energy infrastructure development
• Water treatment facilities
• Project finance operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Development & Operations: Building, operating, and maintaining strategic national assets including refineries, water treatment facilities, hospitals, and agricultural projects. Revenue generated through project development fees, operational management contracts, and long-term asset ownership stakes.
2. Trading and Sourcing Solutions: Trading of essential goods including oil, commodities, food, and medical supplies. Services business providing sourcing solutions across emerging markets.
3. Project Investment Returns: Investment returns from equity stakes in infrastructure projects such as the Cabinda Oil Refinery (90% Gemcorp/10% Sonangol joint venture), water treatment facilities, and agricultural operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Imbono finances, builds, operates, and maintains strategic national infrastructure assets across energy, water, food security, and social infrastructure in emerging markets. Core revenue-generating projects include the Cabinda Oil Refinery (Angola's first new refinery since independence), water treatment facilities (Águas de Benguela, Quilonga Grande, ETA Luongo), the Cunene Drought Combat program, the Quizenga agro-industrial hub, and the Américo Boavida Hospital modernisation. The company also trades essential commodities and operates a CSR platform (Kuena) and water operations subsidiary (ACQUA).

Product overview

Imbono operates as an integrated infrastructure platform with a portfolio of major projects spanning energy, water, and food security. The core offerings include the Cabinda Oil Refinery (energy), multiple water treatment facilities (Águas de Benguela, Quilonga Grande, Cunene Drought Combat), the Quizenga agro-industrial hub (food security), and Américo Boavida Hospital (social infrastructure). Supporting platforms include Kuena for CSR/social impact and ACQUA for water operations. The company functions as both investor and operator, financing, building, and managing strategic national assets across emerging markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kuena: Charitable platform for social impact supporting projects in health, education, employment, culture, and sport
• Ekoar
• ACQUA
• NextGem

Products and services

• Cabinda Oil Refinery Angola's first oil refinery built since independence, operated by Imbono in partnership with Gemcorp Capital and Sonangol. Processes crude oil into refined petroleum products to supply national demand, with capacity of up to 60,000 barrels per day. For national energy security and the Government of Angola.
• Águas de Benguela Water Treatment Water treatment facility restructuring and rehabilitation project in Angola's second most populous province, ensuring continuous supply of potable water to 1.5 million people under international quality standards. For provincial water authorities and the Government of Angola.
• Quilonga Grande Water Treatment Facility Water treatment facility on Luanda's Kwanza river, being resumed and rebuilt to expand water supply. Completion scheduled for H2 2027 with daily production of 518 million litres, benefiting up to 3.5 million people. For the Government of Angola and Luanda-area water authorities.
• Cunene Drought Combat Project US$900 million drought combat infrastructure program in the Cunene region including dam construction and water access systems, enabling year-round agriculture for thousands of families and farms and impacting 600,000 families. For the Government of Angola.
• Quizenga Agro-Industrial Project Public-Private Partnership agricultural hub in Malanje Province cultivating 5,000 hectares for production of maize, soybeans, and beans. Designed to produce over 30,000 tonnes of grains annually and contribute to Angola's food security. For the Government of Angola and the agricultural sector.
• Américo Boavida Hospital Modernisation Hospital renovation and expansion project in Luanda, upgrading existing facilities and constructing new infrastructure including an outpatient building, infectious diseases centre, training space, and morgue. Total capacity of 1,380 beds. For the Government of Angola and Luanda's public health system.
• Trading and Sourcing Solutions Sourcing and trading of essential goods including oil, commodities, food, and medical supplies across emerging markets, providing transaction-fee-based sourcing solutions to partners. For corporate and government counterparties in emerging markets.
• Imbono Investor-Operator Platform Integrated global investor-operator platform that finances, builds, operates, and maintains strategic national infrastructure assets across energy, water, food, and social infrastructure in emerging markets. For national governments, state-owned enterprises, and international financial institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• US$1.3 billion invested in Cabinda Refinery processing 60,000 barrels per day
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, emerging, minor and major.

• SonangolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Joint venture partner (90% Gemcorp/10% Sonangol) for the Cabinda Oil Refinery. Sonangol supplies crude oil feedstock and holds minority equity stake. The refinery is operated by Imbono.
• Hunan ProvinceemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2025High-level delegation from Hunan Province, China, engaged in strategic discussions focused on strengthening economic cooperation, investment, and long-term partnerships across Angola, DRC, and China
• ACQUAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for water projects in Angola. ACQUA leads water treatment projects including ETA Luongo and Aguas de Benguela in partnership with Gemcorp/Imbono
• RefriangominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Refriango for Volei Blue Kuena sports initiative, taking sport to schools and supporting youth athlete development
• SENAI CIMATECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership with SENAI CIMATEC in Salvador, Brazil for Angolan delegation focused on sustainability, innovation, and best practices in the Water sector
• INEFOPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for Project KUMA vocational training program alongside Sonangol and Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas (MIREMPET)

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imbono
• Xx.com/imbonogroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/61587345723094

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imbono