Luanda, Sept. 10, 2025 (Lusa) - Angola's Centre for Economic and Social Development Studies (CEDESA) said on Wednesday that "social stabilisation is perhaps Angola's biggest cross-cutting challenge," and that there is a need to "break with old habits".
"Social stabilisation is perhaps the biggest cross-cutting challenge; youth unemployment remains high, at around 32%, which requires more effective policies for integration into the labour market; investments in infrastructure, energy, mining and education have the potential to generate thousands of jobs, but it is necessary to say that these jobs are sustainable and equitably distributed," reads the latest analysis of the Angolan economy.
In the document, CEDESA, a network of researchers dedicated to studying and researching Angola, said that the country must "guarantee that all citizens have equitable access to education, housing, drinking water and energy".
This, it continues, must be ensured through "governance that is technically competent, not clientelistic, open to innovation and public scrutiny, and capable of serving the people with transparency and responsibility".
Angola's future, the researchers added, "will depend on the ability to break with old vices, face up to challenges with realism and determination, and cultivate a political culture that values merit, democratic participation and social justice".
Analysing the progress of the Angolan economy in recent years, CEDESA considers that "in politics, signs of instability and uncertainty abound due to the lack of definition of the succession of João Lourenço [President of Angola] to the leadership of the MPLA and the country, and the renewed strength of the opposition who feel they are one step away from taking power".
In the economy, it continues, "there are mixed signals, with a pessimistic outlook, but with the realisation of important infrastructural projects that seek to counterbalance the negative outlook, and in the social order, the feeling of anarchy and permanent discontent is predominant".
The text criticises the actions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its various interventions in the country, pointing out that "the recipe that the IMF presents doesn't change and doesn't solve anything" and exemplifying that "the Fund continues to bet on reducing public spending and criticises the postponement of the fuel subsidy reform until 2028 - a measure that represents around 2.5% of GDP in annual costs".
The government is also heavily criticised in the document: "Despite political talk of economic reform, the government has not managed to diversify the economy significantly, nor has it confronted the issue of Chinese debt, limiting itself to paying it off at the sacrifice of the country's well-being".
Even so, CEDESA recognises positive aspects in recent years, listing legislative changes in energy policy, the mining sector, finance, health and education, as well as infrastructure, particularly in the Lobito corridor.
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