Angola during COVID-19: is Lourenço up to the challenge?
The pandemic along with falling oil prices have substantially dented Angola’s promising prospects.
Angola’s President João Lourenço has made progress in stemming corruption and reviving the country’s economy. Before COVID-19 struck, Institute for Security Studies’ (ISS) forecasts showed that with the necessary reforms, Angola could become Africa’s fourth largest economy.
However, the pandemic together with falling oil prices could reverse many of these gains. The government also faces widespread criticism for security forces’ heavy-handed policing of COVID-19 restrictions and the lack of solutions for those suffering due to the pandemic.
This seminar discusses Angola’s prospects drawing on recent ISS reports that analyse Lourenço’s governance challenges and the country’s growth and development prospects.
Chair: Mohamed Diatta, Researcher, ISS
Speakers:
Jakkie Cilliers, Head, African Futures and Innovation, ISS
Paula Roque, ISS Consultant
Prof Paulo Faria, Political Scientist, Luanda, Angola