Luanda — The National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, said on Tuesday in Luanda that the proposed General State Budget (GSB) for the 2024 financial year would contribute to improving the country's situation, especially for the most disadvantaged families.
In an interview with ANGOP and Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA), on the occasion of the delivery to parliament of this management instrument, which contains a detailed forecast of the state's income and expenditure, Carolina Cerqueira praised the measures to increase public investment and reduce public debt, which, in her view, could stimulate development in the long term.
The leader of the Angolan parliament also shares the Executive's concern about the difficult social situation afflicting the population and particularly families, and hopes that the proposal under consideration for 2024 will in fact contribute to improving the country's situation.
Carolina Cerqueira stressed that the legislative body recognises the importance of the Executive pursuing the strategy of deficit control and the goal of servicing the public debt.
"The country is made up of small businesses, people, young people, citizens and disadvantaged populations, so it is very important, from our point of view, to reinforce the need to guarantee the articulation between measures of a cyclical nature and those of a structural nature," she pointed out.
Carolina Cequeira considers it important to adapt a set of measures to the needs of families, which are currently arising.
She recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased unemployment and decreased productivity across the country, stressing that the financial shock of 2022 has resulted in a heavy currency devaluation that has had an impact on accelerating inflation.
"High unemployment and the lack of a basic food basket are factors of poverty that affect a large part of the population. We consider it urgent to take short-term measures aimed at increasing employment and private investment, without forgetting the cash support of Kwenda, for example, and other programmes to combat poverty and the most disadvantaged families, who hope that their social condition can improve," she said.
Carolina Cerqueira also hopes that the General State Budget (GSB) Bill "will address our concerns as legislators".
In her opinion, the proposal could strengthen the income of families and workers, through the valorisation of civil service salaries and the economy and a stronger commitment to employment and the continued protection of the most vulnerable.
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The 2024 State Budget Proposal, delivered to Parliament today by the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, in the company of the Ministers of Finance, Vera Daves, and of the Economy, Mário Caetano de Sousa, complied with the parliamentary tradition of being delivered on 31 October, as established by law.
José de Lima Massano, who is making his debut delivering the GSB proposal to the legislature, considered the document to be balanced, in that it seeks to meet the objectives and targets set out in the National Development Plan (PND).
In this budget proposal for 2024, the social area has a weight of 20.1 per cent, corresponding to 4.9 billion kwanzas.
Defence, Security and Public Order account for 7.1 percent, corresponding to 1.7 billion kwanzas, while the economic area has 4.9 percent, corresponding to 1.2 billion kwanzas.
The OGE-2024 proposal will be discussed and voted on in general in the coming days by the Plenary of the National Assembly, and will then move on to specialised discussion, with the hearing of social partners and civil society, according to a timetable that will be established for the NA's Economy and Finance Committee and the final overall vote.
The document is due to be implemented in January 2024. DC/VM/DAN/DOJ
