Caxito - The entry into operation of the Guilherme Pereira Inglês Hospital, the visit of the President of the Republic to the Barra do Dande Ocean Terminal (TOBD) project and the delivery of the first phase of the Teresa Afonso Gomes residential cluster, were the highlights of 2023, in the province of Bengo.
The hospital is located about five kilometers from the city of Caxito, in the town of Bucula. It has a capacity for 200 beds, 15 clinical areas distributed in 24 blocks, six residences and a hemodialysis center.
The infrastructure will serve to relieve the province in terms of serving the public and also function as a center for training and scientific research.
In the year that ends, the first phase of the Teresa Afonso Gomes residential cluster was made available to the city dwellers of Bengo, also located in Bucula, five kilometers from the city of Caxito.
It is the second residential cluster of the province, after Capari, located 20 kilometers from the city.
In this new infrastructure, 80 buildings were built, 72 of which with shops, 486 houses, health and police posts and a school.
The year was also marked, for the second time, with a visit by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, to the Barra do Dande Ocean Terminal (TOBD) project, where he went to see the progress of the works.
The President went to see how the construction of the largest fuel storage centre in Angola is underway, which has an economic and social impact and strategic benefits for the country, whose works will be completed and operational between July and August 2024.
Still in the economic domain, the province registered the construction of an industry for the production of salt in bars (refined), worth eight million dollars, which is expected to reach a production of around 80 thousand tons in 2024.
With an investment of around three million dollars, a metering company was established in the region with the capacity to produce 184,800 energy meters/year.
In 2023, 17 agricultural sector projects valued at around 315 million Kwanzas were financed, with the aim of increasing agricultural production and promoting the activity of peasant families and former combatants.
In the social domain, the region's Water and Sanitation Master Plan was presented to be implemented by 2040. On the initiative of the Ministry of Energy and Water, the document defines the objectives to be achieved in terms of water supply and wastewater sanitation in the areas urban and peri-urban.
With an expected execution period of 19 years, this plan constitutes an instrument that reflects the works that must be carried out, whether for rehabilitation and reinforcement, or for the construction of new infrastructure.
As the year was about to end, a new project to train staff in the health sector began to be implemented in Bengo.
Lasting five years, the initiative is funded by the World Bank and will specialize doctors, nurses, diagnostic technicians and management staff.
Within the scope of the Social Protection Strengthening Program (Kwenda), fourteen thousand households in the municipalities of Dembos, Bula Atumba and Nambuangongo were beneficiaries of a monthly monetary amount of 33 thousand Kwanzas each (installments of 11 thousand Kz / month) to cover to your needs.
The program also reached the municipalities of Pango Aluquém and Ambriz, where 4,645 households have already been registered.
In the year ending, a total of 414 million Kwanzas were disbursed to the province of Bengo to serve families.
Women fishermen and fishmongers in the province were presented with the PEAMPA and KAMBAMAR projects with the aim of creating literacy for the conservation and responsible use of the seas and coastal environments.
Also with the aim of creating a comprehensive training system in public contracting, levels and categories of professionals, the province registered the presentation of the Public Contracting Academy's training plan.
Still in the social domain, the International University Extension Network (RIEU), made up of 15 higher education institutions from Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Brazil and Portugal, was presented to teachers and students in the region.
This institution aims to establish academic, scientific and cultural cooperation based on extension actions between the various higher education institutions.
In 2023, a letter of intent was signed between the provinces of Bengo and Shandong (China), for twinning between the two, with a focus on exploring several areas for possible investments.
In the province of Bengo, the year 2023 was also marked by the carrying out of the pilot census that will serve as preparation for the Population Census that will take place in 2024 in the country. MD/CJ/IF/DOJ
