After over 500 years of pain, Angola is on the right direction

Angola President Joao Lourenco. [File, Standard]

Angolan nationals yesterday celebrated 45 years of independence. This was after 500 years of Portuguese colonisation and 14 years of armed struggle for National Liberation. Many fearless compatriots lost their lives for us to have the country we have today.

The Angolan people achieved their self-determination after securing independence. However, the Government faced an internal armed conflict that lasted for 27 years.

In 1992, Angola held general elections after adopting multiparty politics. Citizens felt the impact of multiparty politics in 2002 when the parties agreed to sign a lasting Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement. Having achieved peace, stability and security in 2002, the Angolan government embarked on a process of national reconstruction, reconciliation and consolidation of democracy. This process allowed the country to be connected again by means of communication, roads and the free movement of people and goods.

Angola entered a new phase in 2017 when the former president of the Republic Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ran the country for 38 years, left power having been replaced by the President João Lourenço who won the 2017 elections.

President, Lourenço identified the fight against corruption as his main governance banner and proceeded with the implementation of reforms based on two fundamental pillars: The first pillar was the rule of law to establish trust for both national and foreign investors and second was the consolidation of a free market economy.

The fight against corruption and impunity continues to be Lourenço’s highest priority, representing a cut with the past.

Luanda Memorandum

At the international level, Angola is an active member of regional and sub-regional organisations in Africa and international organisations focusing on promoting the culture of peace. This is the great mission of the President Lourenço with the political support of Kenya in promoting the rapprochement between Rwanda and Uganda by way of signing in August of 2019, in Luanda.

Rwanda and Uganda signed the Luanda Memorandum of Understanding in Angola. Lourenço is keen on the adoption and implementation of African initiatives to solve African problems.

Both in the Great Lakes Region in African Union and in the UN, Angola has Kenya as an important strategic partner. This explains Angola’s support for Kenya to the position of Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2021-2022 period.

Angola supports the noble idea of carrying out United Nations Security Council reforms in favour of expanding the number of permanent members of the Security Council. Angola hopes Africa will secure two veto permanent seats and five non-permanent seats.

Business environment

In the economic space, the Angolan government has taken measures to improve the business environment, reduce dependence on oil and attract foreign investment to the country’s diverse natural resources and other economic sectors. It is my desire and mission to catalyse Kenya Angola bilateral status. Angola is open for Kenyans interested in agriculture and livestock, industry, fisheries, transport, education, tourism and others.

In July 2019, a major and important step was taken in this direction with the holding in Luanda of The Kenya-Angola Trade and Investment Conference, bilateral conference that was put together by the diplomatic missions of Angola in Kenya and that of Kenya in Angola with the participation of business and corporate leaders from the two countries.

It is our wish to continue the initiative to transform the intentions of economic cooperation into practice despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have a challenge: We need to take advantage of the good political and diplomatic relations between Angola and Kenya to promote closer ties at the citizen level using the economy and culture as factors of unity.

The famous song Jerusalema is a South African product that has become a worldwide phenomenon with an Angolan choreography. The people of central and southern Angola have been dancing to Kenya’s Kamba music called sungura. Kenyans have already adopted and dance to Kizomba and Semba; Angolan cultural products that become African products.

Here we have the strength of our cultures that must be capitalised on to bridge the gap between the people of Angola and Kenya.

-Mr Sianga, is Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Angola in Kenya