Africa-Press – Angola. MPLA vice-president Mara Quiosa defended a more prosperous Africa, “made by Africans”, and less dependent “on other continents”, stating that Angola is on that path.
” We want an Africa that is increasingly prosperous, an Africa that is increasingly involved and, certainly, an Africa that depends less and less on other continents” , he said, in statements to the Lusa news agency on the sidelines of the Ibrahim Forum, taking place in Marrakesh.
In office for about six months, Quiosa was invited to attend the event, whose theme, “Leveraging Africa’s resources to close the financial gap “, is set against the backdrop of reduced foreign aid from the United States and European countries.
Several of the speakers argued for the need for African leaders to take greater responsibility and control over the social and economic development of countries, using the continent’s existing natural and financial resources.
The leader of the party in power since 1975 in Angola agreed that ” this Africa must be made by Africans” and that it must “stop depending on other continents”.
“We have many natural resources, we have more than natural resources, we have human resources, we have human capital, which is ultimately our greatest asset, ” he stressed.
According to Quiosa, Angola has made progress towards greater self-sufficiency.
” The Angolan government has been making a huge effort, mainly in terms of diversifying the economy. Therefore, the idea is to continue to have less and less dependence on oil, as has been the case for a long time” , he explained.
At the same time, the Government has been investing in increasing national production, particularly in agriculture, and in infrastructure, he added.
” We continue to invest more and more in fertilizers, in arable land, in mechanized agriculture and in large areas of land, because, fortunately, we have a large country,” he said.
The development of road infrastructure, he continued, allows ” the flow of products from the countryside to the city “, facilitating the mobility of both people and goods.
The growth of agriculture in Angola is not only enabling exports to Europe, America and other African countries, but is also reducing the import of agri-food products, such as eggs, he said.
” Development also involves this. We need to end or let go of the dependence we had on the need to import many goods ,” he highlighted.
According to the report “Financing the Africa we want”, published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which organizes the conference, Angola is among the three countries with the highest burden on repaying external debt, exceeding 10 billion dollars (nine billion euros) per year.
The study states that these commitments limit public investment in sectors such as health, education or adaptation to climate change.
The MPLA vice-president recalled that, by paying off its debt to Brazil five years ahead of schedule, in 2019, Angola demonstrated the effort it is making in this chapter to improve its financial credibility.
” I think that Africa and Angola, in general, have been giving these signs and I think they are very positive signs. Paying off debts is a sign of confidence. It is a sign that we are a serious country and we have been honouring our international financial commitments” , Mara Quiosa told Lusa.
The IGW 2025 conference, which began on Sunday, runs until Tuesday in Marrakesh.
Politicians, academics and activists debate how African countries can mobilize to accelerate social and economic development in an international context of declining foreign aid.
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