Luanda, June 9 (Prensa Latina) Angolan President João Lourenço today sworn in a new Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, in hopes of advancing the government’s plans.
The official, appointed by presidential decree the previous day, replaced Manuel Nunes Júnior in the position, whose discharge was for reasons of “convenience of service,” according to the document.
To take on this role, De Lima Massano was relieved of his position as governor of the National Bank of Angola, a post he assumed last December, having previously held the post from October 2010 to January 2015.
According to Lourenço, he is “very hopeful” for the appointment, although the official will face a “sensitive dossier” given the executive’s goals.
Judging by his “rich curriculum,” the tasks shouldn’t be very difficult and, coming from a banking background, he will easily know how to mobilize the sector to provide more funding for the economy, the president said at the inauguration ceremony.
The economy of any country, he argued, is something very important, at least as important as national security, and even that depends heavily on the health of the economy.
For Angola, the main challenge remains diversification of domestic production of goods and services, which should help reduce high reliance on oil revenues, he stressed.
He reminded that diversification should include the conversion of multiple mineral resources into the market, as well as the development of manufacturing industries to provide a range of essential commodities for people’s lives and expand the range of exportable goods.
mgt/mjm