Luanda – Angolan head of State João Lourenço said that the fight against corruption, underway in the country since he took office on 26 September 2017, will keep going.
In an interview published Tuesday in the online edition of the British newspaper Financial Times, João Lourenço rejects that he was taking revenge on Isabel dos Santos and says that the anti-corruption process is being conducted by the courts and not by himself.
He also said that at the party level (MPLA) there was always a recognition that there was "corruption, rampant corruption. This has been talked about for years."
The Head of State underlines that "the difference is that before there was only talk, but no action. And today it is being fought at all levels, targeting the big and the small alike".
As for the return of the former President José Eduardo dos Santos to the country, the Angolan statesman considered the fact good for everyone, "not only for our relationship, but it's good for the country, it's good for the party."
José Eduardo dos Santos left the country in April 2019 and spent the last two years in Barcelona (Spain). The exception was a stay in Dubai between December 2020 and April 2021.
In the case of the businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, the eldest daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos, the President João Lourenço told the Financial Times that "who owes nothing fears nothing", if "she has nothing to hide, she needn’t to fear anything".
Living in Dubai, the businesswoman is the target of Angolan justice.
Country economy
Regarding the country's economy, in the interview the President said that it is entering a period of recovery “after the storm” and points to the Government's projections that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains in line with that of 2020 and a 2.4 percent growth in 2022.
As for the 120 percent debt burden on GDP, the Executive Branch considered it to be "sustainable" and points to the improvement of Moody's rating of the country's debt as a recognition of the seriousness of the ongoing reform programme.
"Our reform must have two main objectives: the strengthening of the democratic and rule of law and implementation of a true market economy", he stressed.
Stimulus to the private sector
According to the Financial Times text, President João Lourenço states that the private sector must be stimulated through a continuous privatisation programme so that it can function as an economic engine.
In terms of energy policy, according to the Head of State, the strategy is to seek more investments in fossil fuels until a new, greener and more diversified economy is built.
We are working, added, to attract greater investment in oil production, but especially in natural gas production.
He added that in the privatisation chapter, the strategy is to make all the assets that were previously held by the State more efficient and transfer them to the private sector so that they produce more and better goods and services.
As for the partial privatisation of Sonangol and Endiama, he ruled out the possibility that it could happen next year, due to restructuring process.
"We are going to put on the market part of the capital of these large public companies. However, the State will continue to have participation in these same companies, including TAAG, the national airline," he noted.
As for the possibility of the MPLA, ruling party and of which he is leader, to have a negative result in the general elections scheduled for 2022, President João Lourenço said it is "very remote, because those who know the country understand the MPLA's resistance".
