Category: Politics

The secretary general of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Onyango Kakoba, expressed this Friday in Juba, capital city of South Sudan, the need for member states to support the initiative of the Angolan President, João Lourenço, tending to the pacification of the region.

Speaking at the opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of the Plenary of the Parliamentary Forum of the ICGLR, Onyango Kakoba said that the member states of the organization should join the efforts of the Angolan President, whose objective is to achieve peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central Africa Republic (CAR), in particular, as a way of guaranteeing the well-being of the populations and the development of the region.

Onyango Kakoba highlighted the fact that Angola had made itself available to send a military contingent to the DRC to secure the areas where the M23 elements were stationed and to protect the members of the Ad-Hoc Verification Mechanism, following the cease-fire between government troops and the rebels.

According to Onyango Kakoba, the end of conflicts in the region, in a peaceful way, requires the commitment of all member states, engaging in the actions promoted by President João Lourenço.

Secretary general Onyango Kakoba asked the parliaments to promote advocacy actions with the respective governments so that the initiative of the Angolan statesman reach the envisaged objectives.

On his turn, the Vice-President of South Sudan, James Wani Igga, praised the efforts of President João Lourenço, and highlighted the need for a combination of forces to achieve peace and stability in the region.

According to James Wani Igga, member states must reinforce their commitment to peace, unity and stability, which are essential for the well-being of the populations and development of the region.

James Wani Igga also called for the advocacy of regional parliaments with local governments for joint and concerted action to guarantee and achieve peace and stability.

Angola is present at the 13th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly with a delegation led by the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.

The Angolan delegation in the event has as current matter of great impact the mediation role of President João Lourenço in the pacification of eastern DRC and the sending, in the next few days, of 500 military personnel to lead the process of quartering the M23 troops.

During the event, which runs until April 1, parliamentarians from the region have on their agenda, among other issues, an approach to the conflict in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), peace and security, combating terrorism, as well as natural calamities.

The Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region is an inter-parliamentary organization that brings together national parliaments from the 12 member states of the ICGLR, namely Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Congo, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, this Friday in Luanda recommended the new ambassadors to defend Angola´s interests, above all, in attracting foreign investment and tourists to the country.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of six (6) new ambassadors, João Lourenço, defended the need to safeguard the name and interests of Angola abroad in the political, commercial, tourist, cultural and economic areas.

“By investing in you, we believe that you are the right cadres to be able to fulfil this role”, expressed the Head of State, who, on the occasion, wished success to those who took office.

Agostinho de Carvalho dos Santos Van Dúnem (ambassador to the United States of America), Albino Malungo, for Zambia, Alcino dos Prazeres Izata Francisco da Conceição (Kingdom of Norway), Emílio Miguel de Carvalho Sobrinho (Serbia), Rui Orlando Ferreira de Ceita da Silva Xavier (South Africa) and Teodolinda Rosa Rodrigues Coelho (Japan), Rui Orlando Ferreira de Ceita da Silva Xavier, (South Africa) and Teodolinda Rosa Rodrigues Coelho, to the Empire of Japan, took office.

The ceremony, held in the Main Hall of the Presidential Palace, was witnessed by the Vice President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa and members of the government.

Reinforcement of cooperation

In their first statements to the press after taking office, the newly appointed ambassadors to the United States, Agostinho Van-Dúnem, and in South Africa, Rui Xavier, expressed their intention to strive for strengthening cooperation in the various sectors.

“We are going to continue the work in progress, seeking to strengthen bilateral cooperation and also identifying new areas with the US authorities”, added Agostinho Van-Dúnem.

Rui Xavier, ambassador to South Africa, highlighted the importance of cooperation with this country in the context of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and, in general, at an international level.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Angolan government will reserve 55 percent of scholarships at national level for women, and channel 55 percent of funding to women for the development of scientific research, said Wednesday the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa.

During an interview with the Public Television of Angola, in the ambit of tributes to “Março Mulher” (Women in March), Esperança da Costa highlighted the Executive’s policies aimed at empowering women, stating that they must meet the necessary requirements to access such benefits, having underlining that “it is not just a matter of numbers”.

During an interview, in which, among other issues, she clarified her role as Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa declared that the country is committed to women’s education, balanced development, gender equality and women’s empowerment.

To her the tendency, is to invest more and more in the training of women, so that they gradually reach more prominent positions in the State apparatus, “not just because they are women, but because they have the required capabilities and skills to carry out the responsibilities assigned to them”.

The Vice-President of the Republic added that the Executive is promoting the empowerment of rural women, through the granting of credit for this segment of the population, as well as to the most disadvantaged women, with the implementation of programmes such as Kwenda.

Esperança da Costa went on to say that, in addition to coordinating some councils and specialized consultation commissions of the Head of State, namely the National Multisectoral Commission for the Safeguarding of the World Cultural Heritage, the National Commission for the Fight against HIV/AIDS and Major Endemic Diseases, the National Council for Road Traffic and Road Traffic Planning, plus the National Water Council, she also monitors the ministerial departments of Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Environment.

Angola increased conservation areas for flora and fauna

Angola has increased its flora and fauna conservation area from six to twelve percent, said Vice President Esperança da Costa.

In the domain of the environment, she highlighted the National Strategy for the Conservation of Biodiversity and the National Strategy for the Creation of Natural Parks, both aimed at the conservation of the national flora and fauna.

Ms Costa stated that the country is committed to mapping its vast natural resources as well.

According to the official, the intention is to continue to implement governance, through management plans capable of, while respecting biodiversity and protecting the environment, taking advantage of Angola’s natural resources for the growth and diversification of the economy, and promoting sustainable development.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angolan President João Lourenço inaugurated Wednesday the 5th edition of “Expo-Indústria/2023”, an event to take place from March 29 March to April 1 at Luanda/Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE).

The event is expected to be attended by over 230 companies, a figure that is higher than the previous edition held in 2019, when it had a three-year interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 5th edition of Expo-Industry/2023 will bring together, among various sectors, the manufacturing industry, engineering and construction, as well as food industry and agribusiness.

The aim of the event is for industries to increase employment and improve living conditions of the population and leverage new partnerships and businesses.

POST COMMENTS

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, through a decree appointed Tuesday, in Luanda, six new Angolan ambassadors.

According to the decree which ANGOP had access to, the appointees are Agostinho de Carvalho dos Santos Van Dúnem (ambassador to the United States of America), Albino Malungo, for Zambia, Alcino dos Prazeres Izata Francisco da Conceição ( Kingdom of Norway), Emílio Miguel de Carvalho Sobrinho (Serbia), Rui Orlando Ferreira de Ceita da Silva Xavier (South Africa) and Teodolinda Rosa Rodrigues Coelho (Japan).

In another decree, the Head of State dismissed Alcino dos Prazeres Izata Francisco da Conceição from the post of Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia, Joaquim do Espírito Santo from the post of Ambassador to the United States of America and Rui Orlando Ferreira de Ceita da Silva Xavier from the post of Ambassador to Japan.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, pointed out on Monday, in Luanda, the use of education to change mindsets on the role and place of women in society and education for equality and gender equity.

Carolina Cerqueira, who was speaking at the opening of a conference on violence against women and human rights, said that the empowerment of women should occur through the integration of the topic in the school programmes of the various educational systems and the promotion of a straight, open and inclusive dialogue among all sections of the society on violence against women, the advantages of women´s participation in decision making and mechanisms to stop acts of violence.

Carolina Cerqueira points out as risk factors for violence against women, their low level of education and although they are 52% of the Angolan population, 47% of Angolan women did not have access to school or have low education.

“Exposure to violence in childhood, complacent attitude towards violence, the lack of a culture of denunciation, and lack of preparation of the police and judicial bodies to deal with complaints are other risk factors for domestic violence among us”, she stressed.

Carolina Cerqueira said that this situation exposes the increase in poverty and inequality against women and children evident in the lack of health facilities and security, school dropout and low access to basic health services such as drinking water, vaccines, identity card, legal advice, employment or loans, by depriving them of adequate protection and at risk of sexual violence and abuse.

To Carolina Cerqueira, the victims must deserve humanitarian support and permanent help for effective participation in rebuilding their lives and in the process of social inclusion, which means ensuring women’s equal access to information, job opportunities, training, loans, and financial aid mechanisms to achieve stability and community integration, to help solve their families’ problems.

“It is unavoidable, as a basic principle of modern societies, the equality between men and women, de iure and de facto, of participation in the economy, in politics, and in the various sectors of the country’s life, on equal terms, where they can feel fully realized as human beings, without discrimination of any kind, or barriers imposed by violence. It is necessary to review the criminal framework and verify whether the crime of domestic violence actually exists as a type of offence, since the new penal code makes no reference to it and the law against domestic violence is not properly specific“, she added.

In her opinion, it is necessary to look further into actions to increase the effectiveness of the authorities’ actions, such as the increase of preventive imprisonment (remand) and effective imprisonment for aggressors of domestic violence, as well as to consider the creation of a multidisciplinary team responsible for improving the quality and communication of information between the various public entities.

He stressed that domestic violence also impacts the economic life of the victims and the environment in which they are inserted, causing the loss of the economy of the country due to the deterioration of the victims’ mental health and productive capacity, reducing the women´s human capital and making them economically dependent on the offender, continuing the vicious cycle of violence.

Meanwhile, Carolina Cerqueira said that, it will be possible to make a more objective assessment of the figures, the number of occurrences, causes and measures to fight violence against women especially, and against all human rights, in general.

In Angola, by legislative initiative of the National Assembly, Law No. 25/11 was approved, on the legal framework for the prevention of domestic violence, protection and assistance to victims.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Angolan airlines TAAG will carry out two flights a day, to Lisbon, Portugal, as of Tuesday, 28th, making available, in total, 14 frequencies per week to this European country.

The objective is to add more mobility options to passengers and clients, given the growth in market demand, on this route which is one of the most consolidated international routes in the company’s operation.

According to a note released to the press, TAAG aircraft will now leave Luanda for Lisbon at 12:40 pm and 11:45 pm.

“Portugal is one of the preferred destinations and the gateway to Europe for various passengers, including tourists, families and businesses from Angola, Africa and South America”, reads the note.

However, Angola is positioned as an important hub for receiving and redirecting air traffic from Portugal to the various TAAG destinations in the southern hemisphere.

In 2023, and taking the whole of January and February as reference, 39,306 passengers were carried on the Luanda-Lisbon route, twice as many as the 18,798 passengers carried in the same period last year.

Additionally, in 2022, the Luanda-Lisbon route recorded an average load factor (occupancy rate) of 72.3%, a positive indicator within the parameters of civil aviation.

The Angolan airliner reinforces its commitment to improving customer service, providing families and the corporate segment with greater availability on connections to their preferred destinations.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angolan President, João Lourenço, on Monday made a field visit to the new Luanda international airport to assess the execution level of the work being carried out.

The new airport, named after the first president of Angola, Dr. António Agostinho Neto, has already received final certification of the project and is expected to become fully operational in December2023.

The airport is budgeted at 1.4 billion US dollars.

ANGOP has learnt that the president’s programme includes visits to the air navigation and airport management building, the regional and integrated control centre, passenger terminal, lounge, commercial areas, check-in and others.

Luanda International Airport “Dr. António Agostinho Neto”, covers an area of 1,324 hectares with capacity to receive 15 million passengers and a volume of goods of 50,000 tons per year.

The infrastructure has two double runways able to receive aircraft such as the B747 and A380 – currently the largest commercial aircraft, and also includes construction of an airport city that will cover a 75 square kilometers area.

The southern runway, which is the airport’s longest side, is 4000 metres long and 60 meters wide, where the first experimental flight was carried out, in June, 2022, with a Boeing 777 aircraft of the Angolan airline TAAG.

The construction works are being carried out by Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC).

President Lourenço’s last visit to the facilities to the airport was in December 2022.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Council of Ministers of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) is meeting on Monday in Luanda to consider the role of seas and oceans in the international projection and economic cooperation in the organization.

The XVI extraordinary meeting is focused on cooperation among the members of the community and foresees the revision of the internal staff regulations (ISR).

Speaking at the event, the outgoing chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the CPLP, Téte António, highlighted the growth of the organization in terms of strategic cooperation plans and the expansion of community actions in various areas.

Téte António also pointed out that there are structural reforms to be made that pass through dialogue between the member states of the community.

The minister reiterated that the agenda of the Angolan presidency elected economic cooperation as a priority for action, in order to adapt the statute of the CPLP to this new paradigm.

According to Téte António, the statute was revised to regulate the membership and improve cooperation with associated observers.

Angola took over the rotating presidency of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) during the organization’s 13th Conference of Heads of State and Government, held in Luanda in 2021.

Angola defends as an agenda, among other projects, the strengthening of mobility among member states and a special attention to the economic sector.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)