The truth runs deeper: Angola is, above all, experiencing a systemic crisis of transparency, public participation and oversight of public finances. The latest data from the Open Budget Survey 2023 confirm this reality with worrying precision. The country scored just 26 points for Transparency, 7 points for Public Participation and 20 points for Oversight – on a scale of 0 to 100. These scores place Angola well below the minimum recommended to ensure an open, accountable and public-interest-centred budgetary process.

A lack of transparency hinders timely access to essential information, such as the Citizens’ Budget, audit reports and the General State Account – documents which, according to various national assessments, have been published late or with restricted access, thereby fuelling a lack of transparency. When these documents do not reach the public in a timely manner, they lose much of their value as instruments of scrutiny, because it is no longer possible to influence decisions or correct course during budget implementation.

Public participation, at just 7/100, is virtually non-existent. There are no structured and regular channels through which citizens and civil society organisations can influence decisions on budgetary priorities, investments or the allocation of resources. This shortcoming undermines the legitimacy of decisions and distances the budgetary process from the concrete needs of the population, creating a widespread perception of a disconnect between the State and people’s everyday lives.

The absence of these three pillars – transparency, participation and accountability – is not merely a technical or institutional problem; it is a profoundly social issue. When the public budget is drawn up and implemented behind closed doors, a growing rift develops between the State and its citizens. The lack of information prevents society from assessing whether national priorities correspond to its real needs, particularly in sensitive sectors such as health, education, social protection or basic infrastructure. This disconnect fuels frustration, erodes trust in institutions and undermines the legitimacy of public policies.

Oversight – the third pillar – remains weak. With a score of just 20 points, it demonstrates the inability of the National Assembly and the Court of Auditors to fully exercise their functions of oversight and external control. The irregular publication of reports and limited monitoring capacity hinder accountability and create a permissive environment, where practices detrimental to the public interest find scope to persist without adequate consequences.

However, despite this worrying picture, it is important to recognise signs of slight improvements in the 2026 State Budget process. The National Assembly approved the budget alongside 50 to 55 recommendations addressed to the Executive, many of which focused precisely on the areas of transparency, expenditure control, fiscal discipline and good governance. These recommendations represent a step forward compared with previous cycles, demonstrating greater parliamentary attention to public scrutiny and the need to address persistent weaknesses. Furthermore, the political discourse accompanying the budget’s approval placed greater emphasis on economic diversification, institutional modernisation and the strengthening of debt management mechanisms – elements which, whilst modest, reflect a growing awareness of the structural weaknesses highlighted by the 2023 Budget Statement.

However, it is important to emphasise that these advances are still insufficient. Recommendations and declarations of intent are not enough. The country needs to make transparency an institutionalised practice, ensure genuine mechanisms for citizen participation, and consolidate independent and effective oversight systems. Otherwise, the progress observed in the 2026 State Budget will amount to nothing more than tentative steps on a path that requires profound and sustained reforms.

The way out of the crisis does not depend solely on identifying those to blame. It depends, above all, on transforming the system that allows harmful behaviour to be repeated, year after year, without adequate correction. The solution lies in opening up the budget, involving the public and ensuring that every kwanza is rigorously scrutinised.
“The future begins when we stop looking for someone to blame and start building solutions.”

*OPSA Coordinator

*Source: Novo Jornal