"The Executive will make available, next year, a credit line of 15 billion kwanzas to support the agricultural sector and a package of sovereign guarantees of 1.46 billion kwanzas, destined for private projects of national strategic interest", revealed the minister, in a message published this Monday in the Economia e Finanças newspaper, cited in a Government statement to which VerAngola had access.
On the occasion, Lima Massano said that he will remain determined to "effectively" implement the Government's economic agenda, aimed "at sustainable and inclusive development and a significant improvement in the lives" of citizens.
According to the minister, the country currently has "necessary conditions and opportunities" to promote production: "Angola currently has the necessary conditions and opportunities to promote the production of essential goods for domestic consumption, in a logic of economic integration. This reality is increasingly visible in almost all provinces of the country, in the context of economic diversification", he pointed out, cited in the note.
Lima Massano said that this effort aims to gradually reduce external dependence on widely consumed products, such as rice, sugar, chicken meat, cooking oil, powdered milk, among others.
The government official also added that, due to the "continuous stimulus to domestic production, the diversification of the national economy is happening and advancing, with some sectors growing above average", which is the path we want to continue following.
"This is the path we intend to continue taking towards sustainable, robust and inclusive economic development", he said, quoted in the statement.
He acknowledged that the oil sector, whose Angola "still depends on more than 90 percent of foreign exchange revenues", will continue to play a fundamental role in the country's economy, but the "true purpose is the robust growth of the non-oil sector".
In the minister's view, "this change is already a reality, with the gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of 2024 growing 5.5 percent, in the annual comparison, as a result of the dynamism of the non-oil sector, which registered growth of 6.3 percent".
Thus, he said that next year it is expected to "consolidate this positive dynamic, estimating GDP growth above 4 percent, driven by the non-oil sector, which should grow by around 5.15 percent".
Regarding inflation, the Minister of State highlighted the slowdown that has been recorded lately, stating that the Government's efforts to increase domestic production "should contribute to alleviating inflationary pressures, strengthening the national currency and stimulating economic growth".
Although progress was made in the third quarter of this year, the minister said that there is still a long way to go in fully meeting the population's aspirations.
"The determination to transform our economy is stronger today than ever," he added.
He also spoke about employability, noting that employment, especially of youth, remains among the priorities of the Government, which this year created the National Employment Fund of Angola (FUNEA), within the framework of the National Employment Policy and Strategy.
"This fund was established to guarantee financial resources aimed at promoting employment, with a focus on inserting recent graduates and unemployed citizens into the job market, in addition to mitigating existing constraints in this context", says the note.
In his message, he also spoke about the need for "continuous dialogue with business associations, professionals and other civil society actors to develop policies that respond to the real needs of the population."
According to the minister, this exchange of ideas reinforces trust between the Government and society, as well as enabling more inclusive decision-making: "This exchange of ideas not only reinforces trust between the Executive and society, but also allows decisions to be more inclusive and representative", he said, praising the work in partnership, with the aim of building a future where "economic growth is sustainable, equitable and truly transformative for all Angolans".