Luanda’s port is getting a $105 million facelift which authorities there say will help curb delays that have hiked prices of goods.

The head of the state-run port, Silvio Vinhas, said the number of working hours for cargo operators would be increased, and roads around the port revamped to enable faster movements of trucks transporting containers.

"The modernisation plan is being carried out and should produce positive results," Vinhas told the media. "But we don't expect to end all the delays as traffic remains intense."

Some cargo ships wait for weeks before docking at the port which is the main entry point for most goods to the oil and mineral rich nation.

Pundits say the delays at the port are one of the main causes of high prices in Angola, but Vinhas said the bottlenecks also showed the country’s economy, which has been growing in double digits since 2002, remained strong.

Port officials said the port is expected to process 6.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2009, a 10% increase from last year.