This week, Angola will participate in the European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) Summit – from February 17 to 18 – in the Kingdom of Belgium. This meeting comes at a crucial time in which the ‘cradle continent’ is struggling with enormous economic, political and social problems.
Analysts, as well as international and regional organizations, have long denounced the ‘failed’ policies of African governments, which they accuse of endemic corruption, despite abundant natural resources that have not been distributed for the well-being of citizens. On the ground, there is a tragedy of human development in many African countries, including in Angola, whose majority of the population, according to United Nations data, live well below the poverty line.
At the EU-AU Summit, then, it is necessary for the assembled policymakers to focus on the wealth that has been brazenly stolen from African countries. This certainly includes Angola, a country whose enormous riches should serve all citizens – riches that have been stolen over the decades by a small group of political elites affiliated with the ruling MPLA party, which has been firmly in power since November 11, 1975.
The resources diverted from the Angolan treasury during the 46 years of uninterrupted MPLA rule has built empires in the name of individuals, leaving the country without quality hospitals and basic services, without basic sanitation, a lack of quality education and other evils that doom large segments of the populace.
This issue is commonplace across the region. For this reason, the Opening Central Africa Coalition has launched a campaign to spotlight the pervasive effects of kleptocracy. To illustrate the impact specific to Angola, a video will be launched on February 21, produced in collaboration with Friends of Angola and activist Luaty Beirão, who has been imprisoned for his work exposing corruption and human rights abuses.
We must ask: How is it possible for an extremely rich country to have half of its youth population unemployed? Who benefits from Angola’s riches? And how do they benefit the community? What are the broader and long-term consequences of prevailing unemployment and the lack of hope in Angola?
These are the very issues that have routinely, throughout history, led to street protests by young people all over Angola, with greater incidents in the country's capital, Luanda, because young people in general feel discriminated against and excluded.
The latest estimate of the unemployment rate revealed that in Angola there are around five million people of working age without a source of income. This is the equivalent of nearly 20% of the entire Angolan population. Many of the citizens who have returned to Angola, after completing their training abroad, have seen their dreams of getting a job in accordance with their area of training frustrated. There are hundreds who have recently returned, but who remain unemployed due to a lack of opportunity.
The most common complaint is the door to social mobility is closed in Angola and is only open for a select politically connected few. By and large, people feel utterly betrayed by the failed policies of the ruling MPLA – and this frustration continues to grow today.
The lack of political will to solve basic problems has not only persisted but have in fact grown worse in recent years. The fault here lies solely with the ruling party and its inertia. Today, the Angolan population is crying out for safe drinking water, energy from the public network, medicines in the hospitals. These are basic human rights that all of us deserve, simply by virtue of being human – and furthermore, by virtue of living in an exceedingly rich country whose elite only work for each other and not for the common family.
Solving these problems, a result decades of kleptocracy and corruption, must be the urgent priority of the assembled politicians and officials at the EU-AU summit. This matters for Angola, and it matters for our continent. Reform is necessary and continued inertia unacceptable.
Goncalves Vieira is an Angolan journalist who specializes in social media and human rights issues at Radio Angola, a project affiliated with Friends of Angola. You can follow their important advocacy work on both Twitter and Facebook.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Vanguard Africa, the Vanguard Africa Foundation, or its staff.