The Ministry of Education has canceled two public tenders, one of which was intended for the acquisition of school desks for pre-school, primary, and secondary schools.
Divided into 12 lots, the tender aimed to serve several provinces with a significant investment and pre-established unit prices. For instance, primary school desks were priced at AKz 80,000 per unit, while secondary school desks were set at AKz 120,000.
However, allegations of irregularities in the process and the supposed favoritism towards a foreign entrepreneur led to the cancellation of the tender.
Recently, during a debate on the issue of the lack of desks in schools, promoted by MFM radio, Angolan entrepreneurs assured that the country has the capacity to meet the demand but lamented the Ministry of Education’s continued importation of desks.
Local entrepreneurs, such as Jorge Pinto from MAROLIV, highlighted during the debate that his company is capable of producing up to 1,500 desks per day but faces delays in payments from the Ministry. Meanwhile, Agostinho Capamba from HABITEC emphasized that local production could meet the demand if legislative changes were made, such as prioritizing eucalyptus wood in school furniture. This is something HABITEC already does, he mentioned, adding that his company has a eucalyptus reforestation program.
The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education, Euclides Paz, clarified that among the companies that have supplied desks and remain unpaid, only MAROLIV delivered 69% of the requested order and received 58% of the payment. Meanwhile, HABITEC, based in Huambo, delivered 44% and was paid 40%.
27/11/2024
