Government to spend 51.5 billion kwanzas on isolation allowance

 Luanda - The Cabinet Council on Thursday, in Luanda, approved a set of cash and social incentives that will cover 55,000 civil servants and administrative staff, in 104 municipalities which represent areas of difficult access, a measure that will cost roughly 51.5 billion kwanzas yearly.

These are financial incentives to help with accommodation, isolation and rent allowances, approved in the First Ordinary Session of the Cabinet Council of 2023, chaired by the Head of State, João Lourenço, whose measure will be applied as soon as the document is published in the State Gazette.

 

The measure, foreseen in the 2023 State General Budget (OGE), provides for 30% isolation allowance on the basic salary of the public servants and administrative staff, 30% for renting, but for those that are not residents in the areas where they work.

 

The accommodation assistance allowance will be 50% of the base salary subsidy, which will be done with a single payment of the amount, that is, at the time the employee is placed in these areas of hard access, or rather in municipalities classified in category C and D.

In addition to these allowances, the instrument includes social incentives related to the mobility preference of the spouse, in relation to the partner who is in the hard to reach zone, among other benefits relating to the couple.

 

“It was necessary to find subsidies that could correspond to employees and administrative agents who work in remote areas or areas of difficult access”, said the minister of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security (MAPTSS), Teresa Dias.

 

To ensure compliance with the law, the minister Teresa Dias promises inspection and monitoring actions, a work that will involve the State’s General Inspection Administration (IGAE), which will act at the level of municipalities for investigations, enquiries and other measures that are considered necessary.

 

According to the minister, the characteristics of the municipalities may be maintained, improved or changed, depending on the evaluation of the impact of this measure that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Territorial Administration will undertake.

 

These are areas of difficult access, localities where public services are scarce in banking services, transport, telecommunications and other difficulties.

 

Angola has 400,000 civil servants, 75% of whom are connected to the State´s Local Administration bodies.