European Union donates 22 million euros to fund programmes in Angola

Three agreements with a budget of 22 million euros to finance programmes related to higher education, public finances and the dialogue between Angola and the European Union (EU) were signed on Monday in Luanda, according to local press reports.

The agreements fall under the 11th European Development Fund and were signed on the sidelines of the 4th ministerial meeting called the EU-Angola Joint Way Forward held in Luanda.

The support programme for higher education has a budget of 13 million euros, will be implemented over five years and aims to encourage innovation and professional qualification in order to increase employment and economic diversification in Angola.

With funding of 5 million euros, the second convention will be implemented over three years by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and focuses on budgetary transparency, the effectiveness of public expenditure and the establishment of an effective system for illicit financial flows.

The final agreement is a Facilitation Programme for EU-Angola Dialogue, which has funding of 4 million euros and is key to accompany the partnership agreement, providing for studies and information sharing in areas such as security, economic growth and regional integration.

The interim director of the European Union for Central and Southern Africa, Francisca Di Mauro, highlighted the agreement on higher education that will support postgraduate specialisation in key sectors of the economy.