Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan students announced protest marches in several provinces on Saturday against the increase in tuition fees in private education, fuel prices, and the increase in water and electricity tariffs, which “aggravate” the suffering of families.
“We, the student movement and civil society will be holding a demonstration in Luanda on Saturday to demand that the government back down on the increase in tuition fees, the increase in fuel prices, and the increase in energy, water and basic food baskets,” said the president of the Angolan Students’ Movement (MEA), Francisco Teixeira.
Speaking to Lusa, the official said that the march scheduled for Saturday, July 19, was intended to condemn government measures that worsen the pain and suffering of Angolan youth and families.
“We cannot accept the government increasing our suffering and continuing to create pain for us, when they have everything and we have absolutely nothing. We will be out on the streets because we understand that the lives of young people, the lives of students, are becoming increasingly difficult,” he said.
For the president of the MEA, the increase in tuition fees, the price of fuel, water and electricity are the result of measures “imposed” by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) on the Angolan government and contribute to the worsening of the living conditions of Angolans.
“If we don’t curb the insatiable appetites of the IMF, the World Bank, and the Angolan government, these individuals will completely deplete the country. We must fight together, and the youth must rise up,” he stressed.
The student leader therefore believes that all young Angolans “must rise up and demand that the IMF, the WB and the [Angolan] Government no longer increase the suffering of young people and the Angolan population.”
A week ago, the fare for public taxis in Angola rose to 300 kwanzas (0.28 euros) per trip and that for urban buses rose to 200 kwanzas (0.19 euros) per trip, since Monday, a measure that comes after the increase in the price of diesel, which went from 300 to 400 kwanzas per liter (0.28 to 0.37 euros) as of July 4th.
Private education associations in Angola announced in June that the adjustment to tuition and fees for the 2025-2026 academic year, which begins in September, will be 20.74%, the maximum limit, in line with inflation, in the same month in which the Government increased water and electricity tariffs.
“We are pained by the fact that they are increasing tuition fees without consulting students. We are pained by the fact that many people will drop out of school due to financial difficulties. That is why we are calling for this demonstration and will hold it in several provinces across the country,” the MEA president noted.
In addition to Luanda, Uíje, Huíla, Malanje, Lunda Sul and Cuanza Sul are the other provinces that are expected to hold protests on Saturday, as highlighted by Francisco Teixeira, noting that in Luanda the march should begin in front of the São Paulo Market and continue to the Ministry of Finance.
He assured that administrative authorities in Luanda have already been informed about the “peaceful march,” urging citizens to join the protests: “We ask the youth not to remain silent, our future is at stake and we cannot continue to sit on the couch,” he concluded.
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