Luanda - Representative Pedro Sebastião highlighted, on Wednesday, in Livingstone, Zambia, at the 56th plenary session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (FP-SADC), the strengthening of the role of the Angolan parliament in mitigating electoral risks.

The president of the National Group, who presented the report on the actions developed by the country to implement the resolutions approved at the 55th plenary assembly of the FP-SADC, also advocated the creation of greater resilience in electoral processes in the Southern African Development Community region ( SADC).

He stated that the Law establishes the rules relating to the electoral process, namely electoral registration, the election of the President of the Republic and Members of the Parliament (MPs).

According to the parliamentarian, as part of reinforcing the role of parliament in electoral processes, the National Assembly approved the resolution that established the number of members of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) by political parties, based on the results of the 2022 general elections and adapted SADC Model Electoral Process Law legislation.

Pedro Sebastião stressed that the implementation of the measures resulting from the decisions and recommendations of the 55th Plenary Assembly of the FP-SADC is a decisive process to guarantee the integration of countries in the region, which is why the National Assembly has developed joint efforts with other bodies of the State of in order to ensure the best internal implementation of the aforementioned recommendations.

Financial Inclusion

 Angola, according to Pedro Sebastião, to improve the approach to the phenomenon of financial inclusion of women and youth, is implementing the National Employment Agenda, as a means to improve and support the coordination of various public and private initiatives – the so-called National Employment Fund .

Regarding the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Program, he said that the Social Action, Family and Women's Promotion sector signed a protocol with the National Bank of Angola in the field of education and financial inclusion of families, having raised awareness of more than 30,273 families in financial literacy, as a mechanism to promote self-sustainability.

At the same time, he stressed, more than three thousand 186 personal and family finance multipliers were trained, as well as more than five thousand 820 bank accounts were opened.

He added that, to reinforce economic empowerment actions and guarantee access to financial services for women, the national micro-finance forum was also organized with a wide participation of women and men from all over the country.

“The public consultation is underway to review the Law against Domestic Violence, with the aim of aligning it with the new Angolan Penal Code and the regional and international instruments ratified by Angola”, reinforced Pedro Sebastião.

The MP also stated that, in relation to the mechanisms that promote women's participation in politics and decision-making, the National Gender Equity and Equality Policy was approved.

In this regard, he highlighted the positions of Vice President of the Republic and President of the National Assembly held by women, the existence of a Minister of State, seven women as ministers, six governors, among other positions.

In parliament, he highlighted the existence of 84 women, out of 220 deputies, corresponding to 38.7% of parliamentarians.

"In the judiciary, at the level of the higher courts, one is presided over by a woman, the Constitutional Court. At the level of the higher bodies of the Council of the Judiciary, 39% of judicial magistrates are women, and 34% of prosecutors are also women", he reinforced.

Regarding children, he said that Angola has taken significant steps through the approval of specific laws to combat rape and protect families in general.  "Among many actions, the children's parliament, the National Early Childhood Policy and the Municipalization of the 11 commitments on children have deserved greater and better attention," he said.

Electrification of the country According to Pedro Sebastião, the Ministry of Energy and Water is preparing the draft regulation for the production of renewable energy, providing, among different matters, the forms of participation of communities in the development and management of renewable energy projects.

"Today, we have an installed capacity of 6,272 MW and we expect that in 2027 we will reach 8,000 MW, taking into account the investments made in dams and in the various solar energy projects," he said.

These projects, he said, provided a substantial increase in the country's energy availability and a reduction in diesel consumption.

He said that, in parallel with the effort made for greater and better energy production, the country is investing considerably in transport, distribution and modernization, expecting, in 2025, to complete the interconnection between the central and southern regions, providing an increase in the energy capacity of some provinces. 

For the MP, the State cannot and should not take on all the nuances in this area, and the prospect is to create conditions for the private sector to participate and invest in the field of energy transport.

"Therefore, we are promoting legislative reforms that will create a different environment, but conducive to the format of private initiative, so that we can take this good with the necessary quantity, quality and speed to the populations", he pointed out.

Electrification projects are still underway, he said, in locations across the country, with more than 250,000 new household connections planned, not to mention the structuring of investments for the electrification of another 126 locations.

 "At the end of all this effort all over the territory, it will benefit more than four million and five hundred thousand inhabitants", he concluded.

He also noted that Angola has installed, in Luanda, since March 2023, the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, through which national initiatives will be supported and coordinated in the field of the creation of technical-professional training centers for renewable energy, qualification, knowledge and the facilitation of investment and youth entrepreneurship, as well as in the identification and formulation of thematic content to be introduced at the level of secondary education. ART/DOJ