Category: Human Rights

Luanda – Civil servants and administrative agents working in remote areas will receive an additional 30 percent benefit on their basic salary.

The measure was approved on Thursday (02) at Cabinet Council Meeting and covers civil servants and administrative agents who work in areas deprived of essential goods and services.

The move is intended to attract, ensure maintenance and mobility of qualified staff for the Local State Administration, states a note released from the Cabinet’s meeting chaired by the President João Lourenço.

The document stipulates isolation, installation and housing allowances, with no harm to other benefits of property nature arising from the execution of specific Executive programmes.

The beneficiaries are also entitled “to preference in terms of mobility of the spouse, or unmarried partner, and access to housing and other benefits granted by the State”.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Huambo – The delegate of the Ministry of Interior in the central Huambo province Manuel Gonçalves addressed Thursday the challenges of public security and the issue on taking the law into one’s own hands.

Manuel Gonçalves analysed the matters during a meeting with the heads of the local Media houses.

The meeting, which was attended by the director of the Social Communication Office, André Ramos Marta Pereira Santana, discussed the strengthening of the institutional relationship between the bodies of the Interior Ministry and the press.

The participants focused on crime prevention, through reporting, mainly, acts of vandalism of public property and taking the law into one’s own hands.

The meeting also gathered the directors of Huambo’s radio stations (João Domingos Gaspar Pedro), radio + (Elsa Inakulo Marcelino), Edições Novembro (Sérgio Viera Dias), representative from the Production Center of Angola’s Public Television (Israel Chitali) and the ANGOP delegate (Aurélio Janeiro Sacalei Soi).

Speaking to the press, the spokesman for the Branch of the Interior Ministry in Huambo, Martinho Kavita Satito, said that the meeting served to strengthen the institutional ties with the Media, which he described as an ideal partners for the dissemination and success of police operations.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angolan minister of Health Sílvia Lutucuta welcomed Thursday the medical class for the sacrifices made in favour of a better service offered to the entire population.

The minister was speaking Thursday in Luanda, ahead of National Doctor’s Day, celebrated on 26 Jan., under the motto “Doctors united, confident, using lives to save lives”.

Sílvia Lutucuta stressed the commitment to continue focusing on the professional class to maintain the resilience of the health sector.

The minister acknowledged that there is still much to be done in the health units to offer excellent conditions to all professionals, both nationals and foreigners, who side by side share the challenge of saving lives.

In order to iron out these difficulties, the minister mentioned the investments made by the Executive in infrastructure at all levels.

As example, she mentioned the construction of the new hospitals, hiring of new doctors, as well as the implementation of specialised and continuous training.

The minister took the advantage to reiterate the commitment of the Ministry of Health (MINSA) to improving working conditions, focused on primary health care, as well as valuing professionals and providing quality access to health services in all places and times.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The Action Plan for Promotion of Employability (PAPE) has already generated 116,000 jobs and exceeded the forecast of 83,500 jobs, after almost three years.

The plan led by the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security (MAPTSS), which began in 2018, is expected to conclude in the first quarter of this year, according to the secretary of State, Pedro Filipe.

The figures that recently have also been presented to the deputies of the 5th Committee of Economy and Finance of the National Assembly, by the secretary of State of MAPTSS, point to the generation of employment in the 18 provinces of the country, with emphasis on the provinces of Luanda, Huila and Moxico.

“We had very encouraging results, although they fall short of the employment needs of young people in Angola”, the official admitted before the members of parliament.

The opportunities were open to young graduates, unemployed people and also to entrepreneurs who needed support to make their businesses viable and young people who wanted to start up their business activities.

The programme had a target of 60,000 short and medium term courses, reaching 53,366 trained citizens, which represents 86% execution.

This number is added to others that took place under the normal grid, which in the last few years were over 280,000 courses delivered, according to secretary of State Pedro Filipe.

With the PAPE, according to MAPTSS, more than 31,000 professional kits were distributed nationwide, in specialties such as plumbing, carpentry, electricity, painting, tiling, welding, civil construction, metalwork, hairdressing, cutting and sewing, agriculture, among others.

In the period 2018 to 2022, the Programme reached the goal of 10,000 micro-credits, of which 6,995 have already been granted, corresponding to 69.95%.

Regarding professional internships, more than six were registered in various fields.

Restructuring of PAPE

According to ANGOP´s source, some of PAPE´s support programmes will be restructured and incorporated in the priority programmes for the implementation of the national employment policy and strategy for 2023-2027.

The strategy 2023-2027 foresees contributing to the increase of employability, in the scope of the national policy and strategy for employment.

These are programmes such as professional internships, fostering self-employment and entrepreneurship and coordination.

It is estimated that by the first quarter of 2022, about 459,775 formal jobs were recorded, an average of 108,855 jobs per year, with 2019 recording the highest number of jobs, approximately 15,3034 positions.

The jobs were created as part of a wide variety of employability initiatives implemented by MAPTSS.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Cabinda – A fuel smuggling network in Chicamba da Buala, in northern Cabinda province, was dismantled by the National Police, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

During the operation, the police seized 3,750 liters of oil bound for the neighbouring Republic of the Congo.

Also an Angolan female citizen aged 45 year was arrested, in addition to 150 drums of lighting oil seized, according to the press note from the Branch Office of Interior Ministry in Cabinda.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Benguela – Angola’s minister of Mineral, Oil and Gas Diamantino de Azevedo Thursday announced the government’s decision to punish illegal exploiters of mineral resources, stating that the activity should be performed in accordance with the mining code and environmental law.

The minister announced the decision while speaking on sidelines of Zambian Head of State Hakainde Hichilema’s visit to Benguela province to learn about the economic potential of the region.

“People interested in exploiting any mineral resource in the country should comply with the legislation, and must acquire a title issued by the Ministry,” Azevedo said.

The minister added that the government will continue to explore mineral resources that the country has, assuring that it “intends to participate in a fair energy transition, which respects the interests of the countries.

The minister did not rule out the existence of illegal exploration of some minerals, underlining that the mineral sector has used all pedagogical and coercive means to dissuade those carrying out these actions.

Diamantino de Azevedo added that the Angolan government is seeking to improve oil and gas exploration in environmental terms, with decarbonisation and reduction of gas emissions.

In relation to the Lobito refinery project, whose visit was on the agenda of the President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, the minister said despite the project being halt for long time, the government decided to reactivate it as part of the refining strategy for the country, which includes improving Luanda Refinery and building three new refineries in Benguela, Cabinda and Zaire.

“The Construction of new refineries, once completed, will not only serve the country, but also the region, given that it will have additional capacity to export, in which the Republic of Zambia has been invited to be a future shareholder,” the minister said.

The minister also said that there was a sharply decrease in the costs for the construction of of Lobito Refinary, but Zambia put at 15 percent the proposal, still to be analysed by the Angolan government.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Ondjiva – The ruling MPLA party’s women wing (OMA) has stressed commitment to defend the rights of Angolan women for their well-being.

The pledge was made by OMA’s secretary of Social Action for Citizenship of the National Committee, Manuela Gaspar, on Friday in Ondjiva, southern Cunene province.

Manuela Gaspar was addressing a lecture under the motto “OMA’s Historical Route – 1961 to 2023”, to mark the opening ceremony for celebrations of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of Angolan women’s organisation, commemorated on 10th January.

She said that the organisation is focused on permanent work to protect women from the various evils that afflict them.

She said the organisation is working on the political, social and economic fields, under the guidance of the party’s programme of action and ideology.

She mentioned the contribution of national heroines, among the anonymous women, Deolinda Rodrigues, Engrácia, Teresa, who fought for National Independence and the preservation of peace and democracy.

In turn, Albertina José, lecturer, made a historical approach to the period from 1962 to 2023, remembering the participation of women in all the processes that culminated in the conquest of peace in 2002.

The commemorative days run until January 31.

The province of Cunene hosts Saturday OMA’s central event.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angolan Members of Parliament expressed solidarity with their Brazilian counterparts after the supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court on Sunday.

The solidarity is expressed in a message addressed to the Speaker of the Brazilian Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco.

The Angolan Speaker of National Assembly Carolina Cerqueira strongly condemns the attack against Brazilian institutions, in particular the National Congress and the Senate, democratically elected.

“We see this invasion as a direct assault on democracy. Democracies must be protected”, reads the message.

In the face of this anti-democratic act, the Speaker also voiced concern and solidarity with Brazil, a brotherly country, reiterating the need for respect for State institutions that resulted from the will of Brazil’s sovereign people.

Carolina Cerqueira said that these “barbaric” events should serve as a warning to the institutions of all democracies against extremist groups and movements that practice vandalism and disrespect for democratic rules.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Ndalatando – Sixteen members from the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and the National Police (PN) were released from prison Monday in Ndalatando, northern Cuanza Norte province, under the amnesty law.

Of the prisoners released, who were serving prison sentences at the Ndalatando Penitentiary, nine are from the Armed Forces and seven from the National Police.

The ceremony was chaired by the judge of the Military Court of Cuanza Norte, Neusa Cambundo Seraponzo, who expressed concern about the increase in crimes involving FAA and National Police personnel.

In 2022, the Military Court recorded 45 crimes of indecent conduct, and from the current year, three were already registered.

The Amnesty Law, approved on December 15 of last year by the National Assembly, forgives all common crimes with prison sentences of up to eight years, committed by national or foreign citizens in the period between November 12, 2015 and November 11, 2022.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Dundo – National Police in eastern Lunda Norte province prevented in 2022 the illegal exit of 40,526 liters of fuel.

The product was bound for neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Taking stock of the activity carried out in 2022, the National Police mention 33,226 liters of diesel and 7,300 of gasoline as having been seized.

In the same period, the police also seized USD49,751 and 6.7 billion kwanzas.

Also 548.9 kilograms of marijuana and 100 kilograms of cannabis were seized.

In the note, the Police appeals to the population to collaborate with the defence and security bodies, by denouncing the fuel hideouts and the promoters of disorder.

Source: Angola Press News Agency