The Angolan government approved Wednesday the National Policy of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, reads the final statement of the eighth ordinary session of the Council of Ministers.
The communiqué states that the legal tool contains a set of measures and actions to ensure the safe and sustainable practice of traditional and complementary medicine, based on the encouragement of conventional research and technological development in biotechnology area and to integrate the National Health System.
The legal tool also aims to integrate into the National Health System traditional medicines scientifically evaluated, safe, effective and of quality.
The aim is, among other aspects, to create reference centers, promote the qualitative and quantitative production of several species of medicinal plants and other natural resources, besides the elaboration of the Angolan Traditional Pharmacopoeia.
The Council of Ministers also approved a Regulation that establishes the terms and conditions of authorization, organization, and operation of the Private Credit Information Centers (CPIC).
These are entities responsible for collecting, storing, and managing information on the fulfilment or non fulfilment of credit obligations by natural or legal persons, as well as for preparing the respective history.
National Policy on Volunteering
The Wednesday’s session also approved the National Policy on Volunteering, which defines how public and private entities and citizens can participate in social and community actions, in an unpaid way, which aim to help individuals, families and communities.
"With the adoption of this policy, the aim is to promote a culture of social cohesion capable of contributing to a better quality of life for citizens and strengthening the values of citizenship," reads the communiqué.
Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy
In the field of mineral resources, oil and gas, the Council of Ministers approved Angola's Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy for the period 2020-2025.
The strategy aims to boost and intensify the replenishment of the reserves to mitigate the decline in hydrocarbon production, through the approval of legal acts that make exploration activity more consistent with the legal regime of additional exploration activities in the development areas.
The approval of the Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy is aligned with the legal and fiscal regime applicable to exploration, research, evaluation, development, production and sale of natural gas in Angola, as well as with the general plan for the granting of oil concessions for the period 2019-2022.
A specific career regime applicable to managers, technicians and administrative workers of the National Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Agency, as well as the respective remuneration regime has also been approved.
The government amended the Presidential Decrees 76/19, 55/19 and 54/19, which grant the national concessionaire the mining rights for prospecting, research, development, and production of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in Blocks 45, 44, and 30, respectively.
The amendment aims to adjust the exploration periods from six to eight years, and production from 20 to 30 years, in the concession areas of the Blocks.
Fees for the services of Public Institutions of Secondary Education
The Council of Ministers also approved the Presidential Decree that authorizes the collection of fees and emoluments for services provided by Public Institutions of Secondary Education.
The measure aims to increase the collection of financial resources necessary to pursue the public interest and to meet the needs of the community at the level of the respective institutions.
Legal Regime for the Initial Training of Early Childhood Educators
The Legal Regime for the Initial Training of Early Childhood Educators for Primary and Secondary School Teachers was also approved.
The legal tool establishes the conditions for the creation, organization, operation, and evaluation of all initial teacher training courses, given in higher education pedagogical institutions and, transitorily, in those of secondary pedagogical education.
The aim is to recognize the initial teacher training courses as qualification for the exercise of the teaching profession in pre-school education, in primary and secondary education.
Foreign Policy
In the framework of foreign policy, the Council of Ministers approved several bilateral cooperation instruments, especially the agreement between the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of the Republic of Angola and the German Academic Exchange Service (DMD) of the Federal Republic of Germany, in the field of training at graduate level.
Other bilateral cooperation instruments now approved by the Council of Ministers are the agreement between Angola and the Federal Republic of Germany (on air transport), the agreement between Angola and Rwanda (on the creation of the Joint Cooperation Committee), and the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Angola and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.
Similarly, the Council of Ministers agreed on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on political consultations.
