When speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, the head of state began by addressing the new Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Isaac dos Anjos, asking for more ambition in this area.
"Minister Isaac dos Anjos was already minister of this department, specifically of Agriculture, in a different context. He is now occupying the same position. What we expect from him is that he bears in mind the need to be more ambitious in this area of Agriculture, at a time when there is much talk about the need to combat hunger and poverty, the need to guarantee food security", he said.
According to João Lourenço, the country "has everything it needs to succeed in this area of Agriculture, everything or practically everything: arable land, abundant water, good climate, people willing to work".
"Families, especially those in the countryside, are teaching us a great lesson", he considered, adding that "family farming is growing visibly", with "a lot of production in the countryside, of practically all the goods essential for human consumption".
However, the President says that better organisation and policies capable of maximising these resources are needed: "What we need is better organisation, to have policies that can maximise the resources available in this sector".
"The Soyo fertiliser factory and the Huambo animal vaccine factory are coming soon. With these two investments, we will basically have everything we need to make the long-awaited leap in agricultural production", he said.
In his speech, João Lourenço also mentioned that the government "is making a huge effort to bring water in abundance" to the south of the country, namely to the provinces of Huíla, Cunene and Namibe, "with expensive projects that will accumulate and distribute millions of cubic metres of water".
"We need to make the most of this investment, which is already underway in Cunene; it will happen soon in Huíla and Namibe", he pointed out, adding: "These millions of cubic metres of water must be transformed into food. Only then can the effort we are making be justified".
Thus, addressing the new minister, João Lourenço said that what is expected of him "is that he draw up a plan to make the most of these investments that are being made as part of the vast programme to combat the effects of drought in southern Angola".
He also advised him to work together with the Minister of Energy and Water to learn about the projects: "Work with your colleague, the Minister of Energy and Water, who can provide [information] in advance about what is being done, what will be done, the areas, the exact locations, the amount of water expected from each of these projects and, based on this, plan what needs to be done to increase the supply of food".
The area of Higher Education also received special attention in the speech of the President of the Republic, who said that it was necessary to "change the framework, especially in public Higher Education institutions".
"To do this, we need to make a diagnosis, but we are not going to pressure you. Take as much time as you think necessary. A diagnosis that identifies the weak points, where we need to improve and brings us concrete proposals of what we believe needs to be done in order to have a high-quality, demanding public higher education system that does not limit itself to granting diplomas but actually trains our young people who come to this education system", he pointed out.
João Lourenço also considered that the fact that the new Minister of Higher Education, Albano Ferreira, is from "home" gives him an advantage because he knows the system.
"He is also from home and, because he is from home, he has an advantage. He knows at least part of the entire system. Travel around the country a little, visit institutions, because a field visit, a visit on the ground, is worth more than reading ten reports on the same problem", he said.
He therefore advised the new leaders to leave their offices to familiarise themselves with the country's reality: "Leave your offices for a while and maintain contact with the institutions under your supervision".
Finally, João Lourenço wished the newly sworn-in officials "great success" in carrying out their duties.
In addition to Isaac dos Anjos (Minister of Agriculture and Forestry) and Albano Ferreira (Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation), the head of state also swore in the vice-governors for Technical Services and Infrastructure of the provinces of Cabinda and Luanda, Juliano Cuabi Niongue Capita and Calunga Francisco Zage Quissanga, respectively.
According to a note from CIPRA, to which VerAngola had access, the ceremony took place in the Salão Nobre of the Presidential Palace and was attended by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, as well as ministers of state, ministers and secretaries to the President of the Republic.
