Africa-Press – Angola. The Financing agreement for the Project to Accelerate Economic Diversification and Job Creation, estimated at US$300 million, between the Government of Angola and the World Bank (WB), is part of the highlights of the Economic Desk this week, Saturday ends.
The document was signed by the Minister of Finance, Vera Daves, and by the WB regional director for Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and São Tomé, Albert Zeufack, in the presence of the Ministers of Economy and Planning, Mário Caetano João, of Transports, Ricardo D. ‘Abreu, and the WB vice-president for Africa, Victoria Kwakwa.
Speaking at the ceremony, the vice-president for East and Southern Africa of the WB for Africa, Victoria Kwakwa, underlined that the project, worth US$300 million (over kz 237 billion), is expected to benefit 12,000 companies for the improvement of the business environment.
Vera Daves highlighted that the Government and the BM share the same vision on the main challenges that must be addressed urgently, for a more egalitarian and sustainable development of the country.
Still in relation to the Ministry of Finance, the minister said, in Luanda, that there are financial resources to pay civil service workers, thus ensuring stability in the balance of payments.
“Regarding civil service salaries, we want to reassure you and say that, a few minutes ago, we had paid 207 billion kwanzas, from the payroll of 211 billion kwanzas”, he underlined.
Another highlight was that the agribusiness sector consumed 80% of the amount financed by the Fundo Activo de Capital de Risco Angolano (FACRA), from 2020 to 2023, through the Informal Economy Reconversion Program (PREI).
The Secretary of State for the Economy, Ivan dos Santos, underlined that in light of Decree 98/20 on economic relief measures, FACRA financed 5,372 projects, valued at 5.3 billion kwanzas, of which 4 billion kwanzas ( 80%) went to agribusiness and 20% to other sectors.
Another important issue was the announcement by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Cármen do Sacramento Neto dos Santos, of the industrialization of the sector, to boost extractive fishing.
The minister stressed that the sector she directs intends to take advantage of opportunities for export, increased inspection and restructuring of the value chain, taking into account the quality of the fish.
It was also highlighted that 910 thousand plots of infrastructure land will be made available by the Angolan Government until 2027, throughout the country, within the scope of the self-directed construction programme.
According to the Minister of Public Works, Urbanism and Housing, Carlos Alberto dos Santos, who was speaking in the city of Mbanza Congo, Zaire, at the moment of assigning the mobility project in the provinces of Zaire, Bengo and Luanda, the program aims to reduce the estimated housing deficit of around 2.2 million units.
The second plenary meeting of the Economic and Social Council (CES) was also highlighted last week.
During the meeting, the members of this body reflected on topics such as “The removal of the fuel subsidy in Angola: implementation and effect, impact in the short and long term”.
Among various topics, they also addressed “The dynamization of agricultural production and the facilitation of trade”, “National strategy for the promotion of the manufacturing industry”, “Strategic vision on the development of business and family agriculture in Angola” and “Infrastructures irrigation in combating climate uncertainty”.
After this meeting, the members approved several concrete proposals that will be delivered to the President of the Republic, with a view to mitigating the social impact of the gradual withdrawal of fuel subsidies, as well as proposing emergency policies to reinforce the program to combat hunger and poverty.
Another subject of mention during the week was the statement by the executive director of the National Bank of Angola (BNA), Miguel Bartolomeu Miguel, that the Central de Balanço, created in 2021, is a digital channel that motivates national and foreign businessmen to invest more and more more in the country.
According to the official, who was speaking at the workshop on “Compilation of the Central Balance Sheet and its importance”, the motivation for the investment is due to the fact that the digital platform offers a wealth of financial statistics on the real sector of the economy.
The information that close to seven billion kwanzas is collected by the National Air Navigation Company (ENNA EP), during the financial year of 2022, which represents an increase of around 69 percent, compared to the same period (2021 ), was also highlighted in the week.
According to the chairman of the Board of Directors of ENNA, Manuel Agostinho Júnior, the revenue achieved, through the payment of fees on flights and other services, results from the registration of around 49,000 air movements, in the period under review (2022).
He referred that, from 2019 to the first quarter of 2023, ENNA registered a total of 154 thousand 932 air movements, a result that was significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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