Luanda - About US$400 million, out of a total of US$1.5 billion made available by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance a portfolio of 11 projects have been disbursed by the Angolan Government in recent years.
According to the Minister of Planning, Victor Guilherme, the money disbursed represents only about 28% of the value made available by this multinational financial organization, a percentage 'much lower than expected'.
The minister, who was speaking this Tuesday in Luanda, in a meeting he held with the vice-president of the AfDB, Marie-Laure Olugbade, stressed that the projects under implementation are linked to energy, with about 44%, agriculture, water and sanitation, as well as the financial area.
After identifying the constraints that cause funding to be slow, the minister said that at this time the Government is working with the financial institution to increase the level of disbursement.
Victor Guilherme stated that in terms of impact, the projects being implemented allow for an increase in employability, in addition to reinforcing the supply of electricity, water and, above all, the food issue, when a large part of the projects are completed in two or three years.
He recalled that the National Development Plan (NDP 2023-2027) has as priorities the agricultural production of goods distribution, marketing and storage of products.
He also referred to strengthening the capacity of human resources, so that people are empowered with knowledge on production and productivity, being one of the priorities of the AfDB and the Angolan Government.
The Vice President of the African Development Bank, Marie-Laure Olugbade, explained that her visit to the country serves to evaluate the steps for future projects in Angola.
He said that strategies will be realigned, since Angola has already drawn up a new National Development Plan and the Bank, last week, it also approved the Project Implementation Strategy for the country 2024-2029.
She explained that during his stay in Angola he has scheduled meetings with officials from different departments where activities have been implemented with greater emphasis, for sectors that aim to catapult the diversification of the economy, namely those of agriculture, energy, industry.
The working meeting aimed to continue the dialogue initiated between the Government of Angola and the AfDB Administration, during the Annual Meetings held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 27 to 31 May 2024.
Of the 11 projects financed by the AfDB in Angola, the focus is on the sectors of fisheries, agriculture, environment, finance, society, energy, water and sanitation.
Recently, the AfDB has expressed openness to financing projects that promote mobility and regional integration through roads, railways, and energy. HM/QCB/DOJ
