As President João Lourenço prepares to deliver his final State of the Nation address before the 2027 elections, new scrutiny of his government's record is raising questions about public spending and promises of reform. Today, we examine a Kz3.8 trillion gap between approved budgets and actual expenditure, revisit the demolitions that have left hundreds of families seeking answers in Sequele, and look at developments in the MPLA, aviation and offshore oil.
TODAY'S BRIEFING
- POLITICS — Lourenço prepares his final pre-election State of the Nation address amid scrutiny of his government's record.
- PUBLIC FINANCES — Government bodies exceeded their original 2025 budgets by a combined Kz3.8 trillion.
- HUMAN RIGHTS — Calls grow for an investigation and rehousing after demolitions in Sequele.
- MPLA — Senior party figure Carlos Feijó warns that historical achievements alone will not secure voters' support.
- AVIATION — TAAG says nearly 95% of flights will operate despite a maintenance technicians' strike.
- OIL & GAS — Yinson prices $1.458bn in bonds to refinance Angola's Agogo offshore production vessel.
Lourenço's final State of the Nation: what happened to the promises?
President João Lourenço is due to deliver his tenth and final State of the Nation address on Thursday, 15 October, as Angola's parliament opens its 2026–27 legislative year. It will be his last such address before the general elections expected in August 2027, when his second presidential term comes to an end.
The occasion has prompted Novo Jornal, working with the Angola Open Policy Initiative (AOPI), to examine Lourenço's previous nine addresses and assess his record against the commitments made since he took office in 2017.
The investigation revisits promises to combat corruption, diversify the oil-dependent economy, reduce poverty and introduce elected local government. It also examines public procurement, presidential commissions and the allocation of state resources. The newspaper's accompanying editorial, Adeus à hora da largada, frames Thursday's speech as an opportunity to compare the administration's ambitions with what has been delivered.
There are achievements for Lourenço to highlight, including Angola's international diplomatic profile and efforts to attract investment into infrastructure and non-oil sectors. But the absence of municipal elections, continuing pressure on household incomes and questions over the effectiveness of public expenditure remain significant tests of his reform agenda.
Sources: Novo Jornal — State of the Nation investigation · Novo Jornal — Editorial
ANGOLA BRIEFING — LIVE ON THURSDAY
Our expert panel will analyse Lourenço's State of the Nation address shortly after he delivers it, in Thursday afternoon's live Angola Briefing. We'll examine the economic and political messages, what the President says about his record, and what the speech signals for Angola's final year before the elections.
WHAT TO WATCH
Listen for concrete commitments on local elections, economic diversification and public services — and for how Lourenço addresses the gap between policy announcements and implementation.
Angola's 2025 budget overruns reach Kz3.8 trillion
Twenty-four of Angola's 65 central government bodies spent a combined Kz3.8 trillion more than their original 2025 budget allocations, according to calculations by Expansão based on the government's General State Account.
The newspaper reports that the total value of these overruns increased by 58% compared with 2024, despite fewer government bodies exceeding their initial allocations.
The Ministry of Energy and Water recorded the largest discrepancy. Against an original budget of approximately Kz814.2 billion, it executed spending approaching Kz2 trillion — roughly 2.4 times the initial allocation. The ministries of Defence and the Interior also featured prominently among the bodies exceeding their original budgets.
Such discrepancies do not necessarily indicate unlawful expenditure. Governments can authorise supplementary appropriations, budget transfers and additional spending during the financial year. Nevertheless, the figures reveal how substantially actual expenditure can diverge from the spending plans originally presented to parliament.
Source: Expansão — Ministries lead 2025 budget overruns
WHAT TO WATCH
Whether the government provides a detailed explanation of the largest adjustments, including which projects received additional funding and how that spending was financed.
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