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The Angola Monitor 3/2010 - Excerpts.
National Media Council criticises State-run newspaper
In an unprecedented move, Angola’s media regulator has heavily criticised the nation’s state run newspaper, Jornal de Angola, for manipulating the words of an opposition MP. It seems the National Media Council (NMC), run by journalists, is attempting to make Angolan media less biased toward the ruling MPLA and give fellow journalists greater independence.
UNITA leader, Isaias Samakuva, was quoted in the paper commending the growth of certain sectors of the economy, when in fact the speech he had made was far from complimentary. The NMC said in a statement that the Jornal de Angola “should avoid arriving at conclusions that may change the meaning of the facts reported even though the story may reflect the opinion of the newspaper or of the journalist who wrote it.”
The condemnation of the distortion of Samakuva’s speech has been heralded by other UNITA members as the beginning of a new era for Angolan media. However, with the state owning two national broadcasters and the only radio station with nationwide coverage, in addition to the Jornal de Angola, others are sceptical that true media reform is around the corner. Angola still ranks 119 out of 175 on the ‘Reporters without Borders’ media freedom index. It remains to be seen whether the MPLA will be willing to support or allow any more media-freedoms before the 2012 elections.
Economic growth has yet to make a significant impact on poverty says report
The 2010 edition of the African Economic Outlook (AEO), by the African Development Bank and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was published on 24 May. It reports that although the Angolan economy was hit hard by the collapse of oil prices in 2009 and suffered negative growth of 0.6 per cent, the economy is expected to pick up substantially in 2010, with growth rising to 7.4 per cent, owing to projected high oil prices. Inflation remained high in 2009, at 14 per cent, and is expected to edge up further in 2010 to 15 per cent.
The report states that for Angola; “Economic growth has yet to make a significant impact on poverty and youth unemployment, which remain critical issues in the country. With around 46 per cent of the population under 18, and the country’s population set to grow from around 18 million today to 24.5 million in 2020, Angola will face demographic challenges in the future. According to recent United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) estimates, 35 per cent of the population is undernourished.” It also says that, “a small elite connected to the ruling party dominates the private sector in Angola, and the business environment remains dismal.” The report is available at www.africaneconomicoutlook.org
American HSBC unit cuts ties with Angolan banks
A US unit of HSBC has told several Angolan banks that they are no longer prepared to do business with them. The news comes after a US Senate investigation into certain accounts held by high-profile Angolans. In particular, former central bank governor, Aginaldo Jaime, was found to have transferred $50 million of state funds into a privately held account with the US branch of HSBC in 2002. The investigation criticised the slow reaction of HSBC to suspect transactions such as this, and it was under this criticism that the US branch announced its decision to close all Angolan-held dollar accounts by the end of June.
Sugar set to become major Angolan crop again
Angola will resume sugar production in 2011 for the first time in three decades. It is welcome news for the agricultural sector that is being stimulated after being virtually demolished in the 30 year civil war. The project, called ‘Biocom’, is a joint venture between Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, Angola's national oil company, Sonangol and Angolan private group Damer. It is part of wider efforts to diversify the nation’s economy and reduce reliance on oil-exportation.
Not only does Biocom have implications for diversifying Angola’s economy and reducing the dependence on imports (Angola currently imports all of its sugar), but will also enable the country to develop its bio-fuels sector. The Bio-fuels Act has now been approved and the regulated production of bio-fuels can begin. Ethanol produced by sugar can eventually be used to power cars and this is another opportunity to ease the reliance on Angolan oil reserves.
Angolan bank expanding into South Africa
Banco Africano de Investimentos (BAI), Angola’s biggest bank, is expanding, and establishing offices in Johannesburg. The office is expected to be a launch-pad for ventures not just in South Africa, but across the southern African region. Thanks to high oil prices and high production rates since the end of the civil war, Angola’s oil-based economy is seeking to expand across the region.
However, despite these efforts to expand abroad, it remains notoriously difficult for foreign investors to actually invest in Angola. Angola ranked 169 out of 183 on the World Bank’s 2010 ‘Ease of Doing Business Survey’, with frequent complaints of bureaucracy, high operational costs, difficulties with enforcing contracts and employment regulations cited as major obstacles.
Angolan refugees to lose their status in 2011
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced that, as of 2011, Angolan refugees living in neighbouring countries will lose their refugee status. They will either have to return home or apply for visas to stay where they are. Bohdan Nahajlo, the agency's representative for Angola, has deemed the country safe to return to after a decade of peace. "Refugee status is not a privilege. It is something that happens because of a desperate situation where people need additional protection," he said.
The 27 year civil-war caused 600,000 people to flee the country. Today, around 70,000 remain in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 25,000 in Zambia and smaller groups in Namibia and the Republic of Congo. UNHCR will cease support for these camps next year. Whilst countries hosting Angolan refugees can ‘adopt’ them, the UNHCR advocates repatriation as the best solution. This means that Angola will have to provide documentation to all these citizens in order for them to return home. On top of this there is also an understanding that the Angolan Government will offer food supplies and other necessities to returnees in order to ease their passage back into Angolan life
Health clinics lead the way (ed.but medical staff woefully short)
A 77-bed Chinese-built hospital in Lubango is a painful reminder that Angola’s staff and medical training provision unhappily lags behind that of health infrastructure. The hospital was due to open in 2009 but has not yet due to a lack of trained staff. It requires 248, but there are only 44 fully trained in the area.
Reports published by both Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) and UNICEF have detailed the progression made by a small scale health clinic in Lubango, and several others around the country. Two Cuban doctors staff the clinic. The UNICEF-sponsored clinics are currently operating in 16 districts in five provinces of the country and reaching approximately 23 per cent of the population. UNICEF's country representative, Koen Vanormelingen, described the small-scale health centres as "leading from behind". The initiative provides routine immunisation, antenatal and childhood care, access to safe water and the distribution of mosquito nets.
*The articles in the Angola Monitor do not necessarily represent any agreed
position of ACTSA itself.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s) and not do necessarily reflect the views of the AfricaFiles' editors and network members. They are included in our material as a reflection of a diversity of views and a variety of issues. Material written specifically for AfricaFiles may be edited for length, clarity or inaccuracies.
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