The Angolan Parliament approved the General State Budget (OGE) for 2025 this Thursday (12), with favorable votes from the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA). However, the proposal was rejected by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the main opposition party.
In an interview with DW, MP Albertina “Navita” Ngolo expressed serious criticism of the Government’s budget execution and emphasized the need for greater focus on combating hunger.
Approved with a budget of 34.63 trillion kwanzas (about 35 billion euros), the 2025 OGE includes plans to improve sectors such as education and health, increase household income, and develop human capital. However, according to Albertina Ngolo, these goals will not be achieved due to “poor allocation and execution of resources.”
According to the UNITA MP, the budgets approved over the past 22 years of peace outline noble objectives, such as reducing poverty and improving the standard of living for Angolans. However, she pointed out that the execution of these budgets has had opposite results. “There are inconsistencies between the outlined objectives and the allocation of resources to the various economic, social, and administrative sectors of the State,” she stated.
Ngolo also highlighted that the territorial distribution of resources remains unequal, with a significant concentration in Luanda. “How are we going to combat hunger, poverty, and 30% unemployment if there are insufficient investments in the productive and private sectors?” she questioned.
For UNITA, the primary focus of the budget should be combating hunger, a problem that still affects 10 to 13 million Angolans. Ngolo lamented that, even after more than two decades of peace, millions of people continue to live in extreme poverty. “Angola cannot, 22 years after peace, have thousands of people going hungry,” she affirmed.
The MP also raised concerns about off-budget practices, alleging that “there is a lot of money circulating outside the General State Budget.” According to her, resources authorized by Parliament are often diverted or poorly executed, with no positive impact on citizens’ lives.
13/12/2024
