João Lourenço delivers his final State of the Nation address before Angola's 2027 elections today, facing an opposition verdict that his years in power amount to a “lost decade”. Elsewhere, the Portuguese authorities have searched BAI Europa in a €66 million tax-fraud investigation, Angola is trying to keep a Namibian foot-and-mouth outbreak from crossing the border, and a new memorial has reopened questions about how the country remembers its political conflicts.
TODAY'S BRIEFING
- POLITICS — UNITA calls Lourenço's record a “lost decade” hours before his State of the Nation address.
- FINANCE — BAI Europa's Lisbon headquarters is searched in a Portuguese tax-fraud investigation.
- RECONCILIATION — A new memorial to victims of political conflicts prompts debate over Angola's historical memory.
- AGRICULTURE — Angola restricts livestock and animal products from Namibia after a foot-and-mouth outbreak.
- ELECTIONS — UNITA calls for separate presidential and parliamentary elections.
- HUMANITARIAN — Disease outbreaks and climate risks threaten to worsen conditions across Southern Africa.
UNITA calls Lourenço's rule a 'lost decade' ahead of State of the Nation
UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Júnior has described João Lourenço's years in power as a “lost decade” for Angola, setting out the opposition's verdict on his record ahead of the President's State of the Nation address today.
In an address on Wednesday, Costa Júnior argued that improvements presented in official statistics have not translated into better lives for many Angolans. He illustrated his argument with examples including an unemployed graduate selling goods on the street, a farmer unable to get part of his maize crop to market because of poor roads, and a pregnant woman forced to travel a long distance for medical care.
The intervention comes against a difficult social backdrop. As we reported yesterday, the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index estimates that 49.3% of Angolans are multidimensionally poor. Separately, the 2026 Global Hunger Index gives Angola a score of 24.3 — classified as “serious” — little changed from 24.0 in 2018, although some individual indicators have improved. Pasted markdown
Lourenço addresses the National Assembly today in his final State of the Nation speech before the August 2027 general elections. He is expected to defend his government's economic and social record as Angola enters the final year of his second term.
Sources: Lusa · Novo Jornal · Economia & Mercado
With the succession to Lourenço also unresolved inside the MPLA, today's speech is both an account of his record and part of the political inheritance he will leave his party.
WHAT TO WATCH
What Lourenço says about poverty, jobs and living standards — and whether he announces new measures rather than restating existing programmes. This afternoon's Angola Briefing will analyse the speech and what it tells us about the government's record and the political and economic outlook ahead of 2027.
