Talatona – Over 17 billion Kwanzas were collected in taxes, during the 2023 economic year, by the country's municipalities, as part of the transfer of services from central to local bodies.
Municipalities in the province of Luanda top the list, followed by Huíla and Benguela. The municipalities of Dande (Bengo), Sumbe (Cuanza Sul), Saurimo (Lunda-sul), Cuito (Bié) and Malanje had a collection of more than 150 million Kwanzas.
This information was provided on Thursday by the Minister of Territorial Administration (MAT), Dionísio da Fonseca, when he spoke at the launch ceremony of the project to strengthen governance to improve the provision of services in Angola called “Njila”.
The government reported that more than 900 services were transferred from central to local bodies, and that, via the citizen portal, they are currently in a position to allocate mining rights for the exploration of aggregates and licenses to provide various services.
The granting of land rights, construction licenses, for advertising, as well as the collection of fines for acts that constitute administrative offenses are part of this range of decentralized services that increase the revenue generation capacity.
Along this path, he said, the management of several irrigated perimeters was recently transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the provincial governments, as well as the return of the management of infrastructured land to local bodies and several projects in the Integrated Plan portfolio. of Municipal Intervention (PIIM), from central to local bodies.
The MAT intends to observe that the competencies of municipalities are strengthened, with efficient management of public resources.
“In other words, it is not enough to increase revenue, it is not enough to devolve more powers, it is imperative to train, monitor and hold people accountable. It is essential that revenues are managed ethically, sparingly, efficiently and, exclusively, to satisfy the public interest,” he said.
To this end, the minister made it known that during 2024 municipal accountability forums will be held, an open and participatory governance mechanism, in order to be closer to the citizen, through the Community Auditing Councils, but also through the citizen's budget and the introduction of new forms of citizen participation in governance, reinforcing democratic dialogue.
Along this path, the MAT, according to its owner, will count on the engagement of the National School of Administration and Public Policies (ENAP), which in the period from January to October last year already trained 8 thousand and 590 public servants and administrative agents in the six 6 regional centers.
For Dionísio da Fonseca, in this training chapter, it is important to highlight that within the scope of the Human Capital Development Plan of Angola 2022 – 2035, the MAT has a sub-program for training the municipal administration that aims to equip local decision-making bodies, with competent and qualified human resources.
The aforementioned sub-program, he pointed out, is expected to cover around 60% of municipal administrations by 2035, a goal that will be achieved with the support of the NJILA Project.
He also indicated that the Executive will universalize the attribution of identity at birth, in maternity hospitals, so that MAT will share the services of the Single Public Service Counters (BUAP), with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, either for the collection of data for issuing the Identity Card and for its distribution.
The minister describes that strengthening governance has a territorial dimension, focused on the elaboration and implementation of Territorial Planning Plans, at municipal level, as the fourth and final dimension of the Njila project.
He informed that the country has a general master plan for Luanda, 28 municipal master plans, with emphasis on the provinces of Benguela and Bié, which have master plans in all municipalities.
“The Executive's goal is to reach 60% of municipalities with municipal master plans by 2027, as it is a fundamental instrument for the efficient, harmonious and sustainable management of the territory, and which allows defining and making compatible the various uses of land, ordering the territory, prevent illegal and anarchic occupations and provide quality of life and well-being to the population”, he said.
The NJILA Project's vision is to contribute to the implementation of competent, local governance, which promotes citizenship, sustainable management of the territory and efficiency in the management of the State's financial resources.MAG/AC/DOJ
