"The problem of the Angolan economy in relation to unemployment, the business environment, more investment and economic diversification is not in more appointments or dismissals, the problem is exactly in economic thinking", Wilson Chimoco said this Thursday in statements to Lusa.
Commenting on the appointment of Victor Hugo Guilherme to the position of Minister of Economy and Planning, the economist stated that the country must discuss with "frontality and frankness" an economic vision to change the current model.
"It is a thought that is macro, structural and that must be discussed and perceived in its true context and here, whether we like it or not, we must call responsibility to those who are entitled to it, who is the holder of executive power [President, João Lourenço]", he noted.
Chimoco argued that João Lourenço "has to present a vision of the thinking that should guide the [Angolan] economy and, based on this vision, whoever is going to help him must follow [this thinking]".
"Because, if it remains as it is, the current minister [of Economy and Planning] will certainly spend a few more months there and then he will also be dismissed", he noted.
The President asked the new Minister of Economy and Planning, Victor Hugo Guilherme, for "commitment" to organize and structure the economy, allowing for a reduction in imports and the creation of more jobs for youth.
Victor Hugo Guilherme, who held the position of secretary to the President for Economic Affairs, was appointed on Wednesday to the position replacing Mário Caetano João, who had held the portfolio since 2021.
The new Minister of Economy and Planning is the fifth person to hold the position in João Lourenço's government, since 2017.
For Wilson Chimoco, the Angolan economy needs "restructuring", which must be supported by the vision and economic thinking defined by the President with a view, in particular, to changing the current high unemployment rates, especially among young people, considering this the biggest challenge of country's economy.
The economist gave the example of the unemployment rate in the province of Lunda Sul (close to 60 percent) and the province of Uíge (11 percent), to support the need for "economic thinking" for the country.
"What justifies this is the productive structure that the two provinces have – Lunda Sul is very concentrated on diamond exploration, while Uíge is concentrated on the agricultural sector. Now, it is purely and simply a matter of vision, a matter of thought, restructuring this vision that will completely change the issue of unemployment", he argued.
Chimoco pointed to the business environment in Angola, "one of the worst in the world", as a result of the country's lack of an economic vision, noting that the current organization in the oil sector and Angolan banking, "which has shown results fabulous", should serve as a model for the country's economic restructuring.
In his opinion, the majority of the economy "has presented challenges, but there are some sectors and provinces that stand out and should be the subject of evaluation and analysis to be replicated in other sectors".
Wilson Chimoco listed unemployment, the low productivity of the national economy, the improvement of the business environment, the end of bureaucracy, the diversification of the economy and the energy transition and artificial intelligence among the challenges of the new Minister of Economy and Planning.
