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Stagnant oil production has not yet translated into weaker government revenues: higher prices have more than compensated for lower-than-expected output. That provides some welcome fiscal breathing room as the government negotiates another public-sector pay increase and heads towards an election year in which spending pressures are unlikely to diminish.
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Elsewhere, candidates seeking entry to Angola's magistracy are challenging the conduct of their admission exams, with allegations ranging from inconsistent examination rules and mobile-phone use to attempted corruption. The government has meanwhile begun talks with opposition parties over voter-registration concerns, and another fatal crash has focused attention on the heavy death toll on Cuanza Sul's roads.
TODAY'S BRIEFING
- OIL — Higher prices add $1.2bn to tax revenues despite stagnant production
- WAGES — Government proposes another 10% public-sector pay rise
- JUSTICE — Magistrate recruitment exams face allegations of irregularities and corruption
- ELECTIONS — Government meets opposition parties over voter-registration concerns
- TRANSPORT — Seven die in latest EN-100 crash as Cuanza Sul road toll mounts
Higher prices lift oil taxes by $1.2bn despite stagnant production
Stagnating oil production below government expectations has not hit tax revenues this year, with higher crude prices instead helping to increase Angola's petroleum tax take by around $1.2bn.
Angola produced 280.8m barrels in the first nine months of 2026, averaging 1.029m barrels per day, according to Expansão's calculations from ANPG data. That was virtually unchanged year-on-year and around 21,000 bpd below the 1.05m bpd assumption in the 2026 State Budget.
Oil tax revenues nevertheless rose 16% to Kz7.8tn ($8.6bn), compared with about $7.4bn in the same period last year. Expansão attributes the difference principally to the average crude price rising from $71 to $85 per barrel. Newer projects including Begónia, CLOV Phase 3 and Agogo have meanwhile helped offset declines elsewhere.
Sources: Expansão
WHAT TO WATCH
Expansão calculates that production would have to average roughly 1.11m bpd in the final quarter to meet the full-year budget assumption — a substantial increase on recent levels. The oil-price assumption in the 2027 budget will therefore matter at least as much as its production target.
Government offers civil servants another 10% pay rise
The government has proposed a 10% increase in public-sector salaries in 2027, but unions say the offer falls well short of the three-year agreement they struck with the government in 2024.
Salaries rose 25% in 2025 and 10% this year. Francisco Jacinto of the CG-SILA union confederation said the original agreement envisaged a cumulative 100% increase and described the latest offer as “very low”. Union leaders will now consult their members before responding.
