Luanda, July 18, 2024 (Lusa) - Significant inequalities, poverty, poor quality education, poor health, hunger, health and social issues are among problems identified in Angola by a United Nations expert, who recommends re-evaluating fuel subsidies to ease the cost of living.
The data is contained in a preliminary report by Attiya Waris, an independent UN expert who assesses the effects of foreign debt on human rights, and was presented on Wednesday at the end of a visit to Angola that ran from 8 to 17 June, at the invitation of the government.
"Following a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, Angola has achieved relative political stability, but continues to struggle with socio-economic fragility aggravated by issues such as illicit financial flows and corruption, which significantly affect national revenues," concluded the independent expert.
Waris noted out that Angola's heavy dependence on its oil sector has made the economy vulnerable to external shocks, "leading to challenges in macroeconomic stability and limited economic diversification," which would be crucial for the sustainable development of the economy.
While highlighting the efforts made over the last five years in terms of formalising systems, strengthening macroeconomic management and improving governance in the public sector, the expert also stresses that "Angola continues to struggle with significant inequalities and difficult living conditions," as a large part of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.
"The loss of revenue during the previous administration resulted in an inability to make investments in the social sectors, which led not only to limited infrastructure, but also to a low quality of education and health, making Angola one of the countries with the lowest human capital index (0.36 in 2020)," reads the document consulted by Lusa.
As a result, "more than 25% of households have school-age children who are not enrolled in the education system, which suggests a high risk of intergenerational poverty".
The expert expressed concern about the high poverty rate throughout the country, which makes Angola look like a low-income country (LDC) rather than a middle-income country, as well as "the serious living conditions" in the informal neighbourhoods, which are deplorable, including a lack of food, drinking water and sanitation and electricity.
Climate change, which worsened the drought in the south of the country, left 31.2% of the population in a situation of severe food insecurity in 2023, contributing to malnutrition or stunting, which is widespread in Angola, affecting around 43.6% of children under the age of five, the preliminary report indicates.
Waris found that there is a prevalence of malnutrition and cases of stunted growth in children under the age of 15, suggesting deficiencies in social protection for this age group, which represents the majority of the Angolan population, and criticised the fact that the school lunch programme is not carried out in every school every day.
"In addition, food programmes also increased before the elections and decreased after them in several cases," the report says.
Domestic violence, child abuse and exploitation, forced labour and sex trafficking, with cases of abductions of both nationals and foreigners, are other concerns noted.
In preliminary observations on how the country's fiscal resources have been used and how they contribute to the progressive realisation of human rights, the expert advises that financial decisions should support and maintain living standards through transparency, accountability, responsibility, efficiency and effectiveness in a context of equity and justice.
However, she points out that public budgets and spending in Angola are not available to citizens, and argues that the Angolan government should continue to include its citizens in financial decision-making.
On the other hand, she notes "with appreciation that the Angolan government has localised assets illegally taken out of the country and encourages the state to implement its guidelines for the effective recovery of these assets," calling on the international community to support these efforts.
The report also addresses the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, warning of rising food prices, which have negatively affected the most vulnerable population.
"The prices of basic necessities, such as eggs, have already risen by around 400%, which is one of the foods that traditionally provides a cheap form of protein, especially for children," it says.
The document ends with recommendations to the government, which is encouraged to join "the club of debtors" and take the lead with Egypt in this initiative.
Waris also advocates encouraging the use of mobile banking services to "move the economy away from cash," reconsidering fuel subsidies in order to reduce the cost of living, drawing up a budget aimed at children, creating and maintaining a register of missing children and ensuring that all homes in Angola have access to electricity and water.
During the visit, the expert met with members of the government, representatives of the financial and banking sector, international organisations, academics and civil society and visited various communities in Benguela and Luanda.
The full report arising from the visit will be presented at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2025.
The independent experts are not UN officials and are part of the Human Rights Council's special procedures aimed at establishing facts or monitoring specific country situations.
RCR/ARO // ARO.
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