Africa-Press – Angola. The National Assembly (AN) approved, this Wednesday, in general, the General State Budget Proposal (OGE) for the 2024 economic year.
The diploma, presented by the Minister of Finance, Vera Daves, was approved with 111 votes in favor (MPLA, PHA and PRS/FNLA) and 74 votes against (UNITA) and no abstentions, at the First Ordinary Plenary Meeting of the 2nd Legislative Session of the Fifth Legislature of AN.
The proposed General State Budget (OGE) for 2024, which foresees a salary increase in the public sector of around 5 percent, includes estimated revenues of 24 billion Kwanzas and expenses set at the same amount.
The proposal also increases the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget by 80 percent, as a strong sign of its commitment to agribusiness and food security.
The Executive predicts growth of 2.8 percent in 2024, essentially anchored by the non-oil sector, which is expected to grow 4.6 percent and a decrease in the oil sector with 2.6 percent.
The economic projections for the next financial year were calculated based on an average price per barrel of oil of USD 65.00 and an average daily oil production of 1 million and sixty thousand barrels.
In this budget proposal for 2024, the social area has a weight of 20.1 percent, corresponding to 4.9 billion kwanzas.
Defense, Security and Public Order comprises 7.1 percent, corresponding to 1.7 billion Kwanzas, while the economic part has 4.9 percent corresponding to 1.2 billion Kwanzas.
The document now goes to discussion in the specialty, with the hearing of social partners and civil society, using a calendar established for the AN Economy and Finance Commission and a final global vote.
The execution of the document is scheduled for January 2024.
Declarations of vote
The MPLA, in the voice of deputy Suzana Melo, said that it voted in favor of the OGE 2024 Proposal, in general, as it considers that it contains the bases for political, democratic, economic and social harmonization, “fundamental factors that are intended in this Angola under construction”.
For its part, PHA, which also expressed its vote in favor of the proposal, “although the document does not fully reflect the humanitarian ideals of justice and equity”, believes that it will contribute to the construction of a more inclusive budget.
Deputy Fernando Humbo Dinis recognized that the 2024 OGE Proposal presents an increase in investments in essential services such as health and education.
“We believe that we can improve the allocation of resources and prioritize everyone’s well-being”, he expressed.
Meanwhile, deputy Benedito Daniel, from the PRS/FNLA Mixed parliamentary group, said that they voted in favor of the document, considering that, despite finding some insufficiencies in the budget, it needs to be discussed in detail to understand the priority of certain actions .
“As it is neither coherent nor common sense to deny it immediately, and then worry about discussing it in the specialty, we vote in favor”, he stressed.
UNITA, in the voice of deputy Mihaela Webba, justified the vote against the OGE 2024 Proposal, in general, as it understood “that, with this budget, in 2024 the lives of families and companies will get worse, the price of gasoline could rise and the kwanza will continue to depreciate”.
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