It was on September 26, 2017 that José Eduardo dos Santos passed the folder to João Lourenço. Promises to fight corruption, strengthen the democratic state and the rule of law, diversify the economy and improve the living conditions of the population had been made by the current President of the Republic during his election campaign.
When he took over the reins of Angola, João Lourenço had a very adverse scenario in his hands. According to Angop, the economic, political and social panorama of the country was "at the bottom of the barrel", and it was the responsibility of the now President to put into practice the promises made and overcome the challenges.
When he took office, at the inauguration ceremony, he promised to take measures to diversify the economy, reduce the number of imports and invest in exports. At the time, the head of state made it clear that the fight against corruption was "one of the most important fronts in the coming years".
Three years later, the difficulties continue and João Lourenço continues to be committed to fighting the country's problems. So far, the President has been fighting against the various figures involved in corruption, money laundering, embezzlement, among other crimes.
In this regard, he approved the amendments to the Public Procurement Law, and gave the green light to the Laws on the Repatriation of Foreign Capital and on the Coercive Repatriation and Expanded Loss of Goods. It also approved the Prevention and Combating Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Laws.
With these new changes, the country also saw the son of the former President, Filomeno dos Santos Zenu, together with António Bule, George Gaudens and the former governor of the BNA, Valter Filipe, be convicted in the '500 Million' case.
Among other media cases is the 'Luanda Leaks', which investigates the activities of the businesswoman and also the daughter of the former head of state Isabel dos Santos and the most recent case involving Carlos de São Vicente, who is in custody for suspicion of embezzlement, influence trafficking and money laundering.
Along with the fight against corruption, João Lourenço's three years are also marked by an increase in domestic production of goods and services, with a view to reducing imports. The creation of the National Production, Export Diversification and Import Substitution Programs (PRODESI) in 2018 and the Credit Support Program (PAC) in 2019 helped to diversify the agricultural sector.
The health sector is also noteworthy: the Government has invested in the construction and rehabilitation of the country's hospital units. Under the Municipal Integrated Intervention Plan (PIIM), 301 health units will be built and rehabilitated throughout the country. Tenders have also been opened to increase the number of health professionals working in the sector.
It should be noted that the President has also decided to end some ministries, reducing the number of guardians from 28 to 21, thus allowing the State to save one billion kwanzas per year.
This third year in office has been more challenging due to the presence of covid-19, which has caused serious problems in the country's finances, as well as destabilizing almost all sectors. This year has come to a standstill in almost all sectors essential for a country to function, a year without precedent and which has left almost all states confused and concerned.
Despite the adversities, João Lourenço seems to remain firm in continuing to fulfill the promises he made. Although the crisis has been aggravated by the virus, the President has tried to continue to give hope to Angolans.
