Thomas Albert
Africa-Press – Angola. Your Excellency Mr. Inspector General , since I wrote to the institution you direct, claiming a right enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, article 200, points 1 and 2, and in article 99, points 1, 2 and 3 of law 31/22 of August 30, code of administrative procedure, to this day this institution has not provided us with any clarification, violating the aforementioned articles.
At the time that IGAE held the National Conference on GOOD GOVERNANCE on January 15, 2025, it had been approximately 5 months since the IGAE management had spoken out on our matter, in which the body in question was the management of the Press Center of the Presidency of the Republic ( CIPRA ). Which, without exaggeration, is less than 10 meters from the general management of IGAE.
Previously, I had a meeting with the Deputy Inspector General Dr. Venceslau Canjongo , who substantiated and argued our complaint based on the law, and I also took page 112 of the National Development Plan, which contains the cross-cutting themes of this same plan.
I notice that public institutions are more concerned with solving the problems of other bodies, without first solving their own. Sometimes I wonder, what moral authority did the IGAE management have when it preached to other bodies about GOOD GOVERNANCE, something that they themselves do not practice?!!
In this conference on GOOD GOVERNANCE, the Minister of State for Social Affairs highlighted the LOYALTY, INTEGRITY and good governance of the Public Administration bodies in compliance with the Constitution, the Code of Administrative Procedure, the Public Probity Law and the strategy for preventing and combating corruption. The Minister also spoke of the 2023/2027 National Development Plan (PDN) as one of the main short-term planning instruments… How can an inspection institution that does not comply with the law and does not protect the government programs expressed in the PDN have the moral authority to demand compliance with the law and government programs from other Public Administration bodies? For these and other reasons, the other Public Administration bodies also do not fulfill their duties.
We talk about good governance every day, but there is still a widespread culture in public institutions of not formally responding to letters addressed to them. And, when they do respond, they avoid providing the arguments and grounds for the request. They only respond to what suits them, leaving the national interests enshrined in law to their fate.
In the other letters sent with official numbers 0009-GPCA-T4CPS, SA – 2025 and 0018-17-02-2025-GPCA-T4CPS, SA, we complained about the fact that the management of TPA, a public body, and TV ZIMBO, a body under public management, subordinated by the Constitution of the Republic of Angola and the Code of Administrative Procedure, are not complying with a legal recommendation to mitigate economic and financial losses in foreign currency, commercial digital exclusion, promotion of digital informality and inflation, in which the losses only occur throughout the national territory through our cyberspace due to the lack of public knowledge of a national digital advertising platform that provides this service.
The silence in not responding to us formally, after several requests, gives us the impression that the igae management values the people who are in charge of these institutions more, to the detriment of the law, and the government programs expressed in the PDN.
We have seen the promotion of several digital-focused events promoted by various ministerial departments, including the AngoTic forum. Has anyone ever wondered where the businesses of these entrepreneurs, businesspeople and freelance professionals spread throughout the country who participate in these inventions will be advertised?
Every business needs to be publicized in order to be known and grow. Currently, the cheapest way to promote a business is online. The only platforms that attract users are the international platforms that operate in Angola through our cyberspace, where payments are made exclusively in foreign currency. How can these inventions be aligned with the National Development Plans if the cross-cutting themes of the NDP aim to increase tax revenue, improve the business environment, enhance human capital and provide employment for the youth, if the platforms where the sale of these products and services will be advertised, in addition to charging in foreign currency, and as if that were not enough, do not pay any type of tax to the Angolan State? And, instead of competing with the same platforms, since the world is now a global village, we are simply increasing consumption.
Others still claim that these inventions are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How can a business be sustainable if the entrepreneur or self-employed professional does not pay tax on the request for this service, sells the product or service in kwanza, and buys the service in foreign currency?
Recently, His Excellency Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic said at the World Bank summit on digital transition that Angola has more than 12,000,000 internet users.
My question is this: given that we are in the digital age and with over 12,000,000 internet users, and where almost all entrepreneurs, businesspeople and professionals use digital advertising every single day to promote their products and services, how much does the digital advertising sector contribute to the GDP? If it doesn’t contribute yet, what is missing to contribute?
Our country is vast, and if some people don’t know how to solve a particular problem, we should turn to someone who does. Given the economic and financial losses in foreign currency, commercial digital exclusion, the promotion of digital informality and inflation, we cannot wait for convenience. As long as it is an Angolan company that is mitigating, and the law grants it this right, we must respect the law.
State resources must be available to protect the interests of the State and not of the public manager.
It is public knowledge that informality is a real cancer of economic stability in our country, as stated in several reports. That is why the Informal Economy Reconversion Program ( PREI ) is part of the National Development Plan. I do not know what the results were, but I know that according to the State Budget, an amount of KZ 12,000,000,000 was allocated for 2023/2024. Will we also have to wait for the digital advertising sector to reach large proportions before intervening by spending the scarce State funds?
We just don’t solve certain problems in our country, not for lack of skills, but for lack of interest of some public managers, who are in certain positions, not to serve others, but to serve themselves. When the matter is of public interest, but does not give them personal benefits, they do everything to prevent it, or not get involved when they could, leaving the State with the burden.
State employees should know that they are there to represent the State. Any matter that is detrimental to the State should be subject to their intervention. It is not like many do, pretending that the matter does not concern them because it does not bring them personal gain.
According to the law, the pursuit of the public interest is not just the task of public administration bodies, but of everyone. After all, the government draws up policies, but it is the private sector that implements them.
Your Excellency Mr. Inspector General, without legal protection for the private sector, there will be no revenue for the State. Without revenue for the State coffers, public institutions will not be able to carry out their tasks. Your Excellency, it is time for us to realize that the State and the private sector are part of the same ecosystem; what harms the private sector directly harms the State’s sources of revenue. What we demand based on the law, Article 200, paragraph 1, 2 of the Constitution, and Article 99, paragraph 1, 2 and 3 of the Code of Administrative Procedure, is the right to be informed about the progress of our process.
We grew up hearing beautiful and intellectual speeches, but it is true that these speeches went hand in hand, and were often delivered by those who practiced bad management, nepotism, corruption, negligence, cronyism and cronyism. We are in a time when we want concrete actions.
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