USA PRAISES PROGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

 The US State Department praised the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, for the "impressive advances in the continuation of an anti-corruption agenda" and in the "fight against the power of elites" in the last two years.

According to Lusa news agency, in a report ANGOP had access on Thursday, for the US, the success of the presidency of João Lourenço is also reflected in the fight against state capture, in the denunciation and prosecution of former public officials and a new law to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

This assessment by US authorities is part of a tender launched in Washington for projects to combat corruption in Angola with a USD1.3 million funding.

The projects in the tender, an initiative of the US State Department's Office of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, should demonstrate that they can "support the growth of Angolan civil society and independent media in increasing public awareness and support reforms for transparency and fighting corruption.

With this funding programme, it is intended that Angolan citizens will have greater knowledge of the anti-corruption reforms underway in the country, advocate for these transformations and, at the same time, civil society will gain greater capacity to investigate corruption with confidence.

On the other hand, the new US administration under President Joe Biden will "vigorously" assist the Angolan government in its fight against corruption, according to analyst Landry Signé of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based US think tank.

In a text published in Foreign Policy magazine, the analyst, quoted by the Voice of America, as saying that over the last decade Angola had been seen as "a classic example of the resource curse due to its failure to positively transform its economy.

Landry Signé asserts that João Lourenço government's fight against corruption "represents a huge opportunity for the US Treasury to get involved and vigorously help Angola recover assets and money stolen in previous corruption scandals - including those based in the United States - and prevent illicit financial moves in the future."

"The United States should be involved in Angola's anti-corruption campaign because it has wider implications both for other African countries and the rest of the world," the analyst wrote.

The analyst believes that Joe Biden could have an impact in the first year of his administration if he develops practical solutions to "critical challenges such as Sudan, Zambia, Mali and Angola," as well as implementing a new trade policy with Africa, given that the special tariff programme for African countries, the so-called African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), expires in 2025.

Since João Lourenço assumed the Angolan presidency, his anti-corruption policy has resulted in the recovery of movable and immovable assets and cash, estimated at billions of dollars.

Also as part of the fight against corruption, several cases have been tried, including those of the former Minister of Transport, Augusto Tomás, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sovereign Fund of Angola, José Filomeno dos Santos "Zenu", and the former governor of the National Bank of Angola, Valter Filipe.

Several other cases are on trial and others under investigation, throughout the country.