Ndalatando - The Angolan government has said it will grant more financial and administrative autonomy to the country's 164 municipalities by 2024 to carry out small and medium-sized projects, the Secretary of State for Local Authorities, Márcio Daniel has said.
The official made the statement at the end of the 5th ordinary meeting of the Interministerial Commission for the Implementation of the Integrated Plan for Intervention in Municipalities (CI-PIIM).
Marcio Daniel said the financial and administrative management of small and medium-sized projects will be transferred to municipalities, as part of the administrative and financial decentralization programme.
The official said the transfer follows good results that have been achieved by the municipalities during the implementation of the PIIM, adding that the PIIM implementation has proved the capacity of municipal administrations to initiate and finalise public investment projects.
"From 2024 onwards, the range of activities of the municipalities will be strengthened because the PIIM has proven their ability to initiate and complete public investment projects," Daniel said.
The official explained that the transfer of these responsibilities to the municipalities, which are currently the responsibility of the ministries, does not remove or reduce the intervention of the ministerial departments in the follow-up, monitoring and methodological guidance of the projects.
Marcio Daniel assured that financial resources would be available for PIIM projects concluded, despite the "stress" on public finances.
The Secretary of State added that, according to the Finance Ministry, all the withdrawal orders issued up to August this year have been approved, which shows that there are no financial constraints.
Marcio Daniel underscored that the government will not tolerate situations where works are paralysed for other than financial reasons.
Angola has 885 PIIM projects completed, essentially in the health, education and road sectors.
Of these, 134 are in the health sector, which has increased the capacity for patient’s hospitalization by around 4,000 beds, while in the education sector 314 projects have been completed, allowing around 8,000 new pupils to enroll in the current school year.
Launched in August 2019 by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, the PIIM encompasses 1,679 projects in the health, education, construction and public works, administrative infrastructure, roads, energy and water, security and public order, urban planning and basic sanitation sectors.
The integrated plan covers the country's 164 municipalities and is financed with a total of 2 billion dollars from the Angolan Sovereign Fund. EFM/DS/OHA/AMP
