Proceeding four decades of war, economic and political reform has become strategic imperatives for the government of Angola. This brief is intended to explain where the nation is now, and what can be done for the future. The aim is primarily at long term trends rather than the short run cycles of hyperinflation and control which have overwhelmed Angola for the past decade.
However, it still is important to place present efforts in historical context. Angola achieved independence in 1975 after more than four hundred years of Portuguese rule. Immediately following this, Angola has been troubled by civil war and unrest, which reached unprecedented levels of death and destruction following UN sponsored elections in 1992. Angola's economy remains severely affected by the long war and the destruction resulting from it and though there continue to be severe problems with alternating cycles of inflation and control, there are long run trends related to growth, agriculture, and oil revenue that can be analyzed to help orient policy toward long run goals.
Political map of the Cabinda province, Angola.
Cabinda (light green) within Angola
Offshore petrol platform prepared moving to final ...Angola's population has been adversely affected by the war. With a median age of 18 years old for both men and women, you can see that most Angolan's have not lived long enough to reach their golden years. With the hopeful passing of the war, the population should build up again and become more stable and healthy; population is not a grave concern at the moment. Education is also severely lacking. The wars must stop before schools can consistently remain open. Getting schools money and more teachers is necessary; however, even though there may only be one teacher for every 80 students, it is still important to keep those children in an educational environment. The government should look to enforce school more critically, but will look hypocritical in doing so until...