The President of Angola, João Lourenço, who was speaking at the opening of the Ordinary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA, in power since 1975), highlighted the reforms and measures underway in the country to strengthen and diversify the economy .
“Among these measures we highlight the courageous fight against corruption and impunity, a threat considered for years to be the country’s second biggest challenge after the war. At a time when World Anti-Corruption Day was celebrated on December 9, it is opportune to reaffirm here before the party, which tasked us with doing so, our determination to take this fight forward”, he said.
In relation to the ongoing process of combating corruption, the also president of the MPLA criticized “known retrograde forces in our society”, who, “instead of applauding and encouraging the institutions engaged in this relentless fight, prefer to say that it is not being done anything”.
Lourenço said that the facts of the fight against corruption in the country are on display: “Because after all, acts of justice from a certain stage of the process become public domain”.
This behavior “aims to distort the reality of the facts while at the same time these people, organizations or political parties made a clear alliance with those who for years used the treasury and public assets on a large scale for their own benefit”, he highlighted.
“And today, in an attempt to return to the golden past, they finance the fight to overthrow the MPLA, a political party truly committed to the fight against corruption”, he stressed.
“We are committed to diversifying the economy”
In front of the members of the Central Committee, the leader of the “comrades” also recalled the 67th anniversary of the party’s founding, marked on December 10th.
“There were 67 years of fighting for the cause of the Angolan people during which we faced several challenges, but we also achieved important victories, highlighting national independence, the victory over foreign aggressors and the achievement of definitive peace”, he highlighted.
Peace, he said, brought with it the conducive environment that “made it possible to begin the process of reconstruction of the main infrastructures destroyed by the war”, which “continues in parallel with the construction of new and modern infrastructures important for the economic and social development of the country .
He stated that Angola is today committed to building a true market economy, which gives primacy to the private business sector in the production of goods and services for domestic consumption and export, at the same time creating a greater job offer for Angolan citizens. in general, particularly for young people.
“We are committed to diversifying the economy, but to attract investors who can develop from different branches of the economy, we are carrying out a set of political and economic reforms and a set of measures that aim to create a good business environment” , he noted.
Root the MPLA more in society
João Lourenço, who is serving the second year of his second term under the Constitution, also highlighted the recent “historic and highly successful visit” he made to the United States of America (USA) and the meeting with the North American President, Joe Biden, noting that this should result in great advantages for the country.
He recalled that Angola celebrates 50 years of independence in 2025, considering this to be an event of the highest political and historical importance for the lives of Angola and Angolans and which therefore deserves the involvement of the entire Angolan society in organizing the celebrations.
Internally, he urged MPLA leaders to root the party more in society, in neighborhoods, towns, villages, non-governmental organizations, trade unions and professional orders, churches, but without party connotations “to better understand the concerns of the people”
“What the people expect from us is, above all, our presence and the strength of our words, of our message without the need to necessarily offer material goods”, he concluded.
The meeting of the MPLA Central Committee analyzes the internal life of the party and looks ahead to the political year 2024.
By LUSA