Luanda - Angola's General Inspectorate of State Administration (IGAE) took over on Wednesday in Luanda, the rotating presidency of the Forum of General Inspectorates of African States (FIGE) for a two-year term.
FIGE is a platform created in 2006, in Djibouti, with the aim of strengthening exchange and cooperation between African states in terms of internal administrative control.
The international institution's social object is also to guarantee the standardization of the inspection procedures of the continent's top internal control bodies, of which Angola has been a member since 2009.
According to Angola’s Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, who was speaking at the 9th FIGE general assembly, corruption is an evil that corrodes societies, undermines institutions, destroys their credibility and slows down the development of countries.
The minister said African states face complex difficulties in resolving the problems of their populations and corruption is an element that contributes to further delays in resolving them.
Adão de Almeida underlined the need for states to invest more in the fight against corruption, starting with the creation of strong, credible institutions capable of carrying out the mission for which they were created.
The minister stressed that Angola has experience in this area that can be passed on, especially with the progress made since 2017 when President João Lourenço took up the helm of the country.
“Not only in terms of corruption, but also in asset recovery, as well as in reducing the feeling of impunity as an evil associated with corruption,” he said.
For the State Inspector General, João Manuel Francisco, the moment represents not only an opportunity to strengthen the cooperation bonds between the countries, but also an important milestone in consolidating the principle of good governance, transparency and integrity in the exercise of inspection functions on the continent.
In his opinion, “the responsibility of the country is great, and the success of the actions will depend on the ability to create an environment of trust between states and citizens”.
João Manuel Francisco said that Angola is taking over the presidency at a crucial time for public administration, at a time when it is still engaged in implementing good inspection actions, as well as creating strategies to combat corruption.
During three days of activity, the 9th FIGE General Assembly will be held under the theme “The fight against corruption and money laundering - investigation, repression and cooperation”. MGM/SC/TED/AMP