USAID/OTI Angola Field Report January 2004
Program Description
The OTI program in Angola was initiated in February 2003 to support the renewed opportunity for a lasting peace and increased democracy following the end of 40 years of violent conflict. OTI is providing support in three areas: strengthening civil society advocacy capacity; strengthening media; and increasing local-level engagement between citizens and authorities in order to address community problems. OTI’s implementing partner is Creative Associates and the FY 2004 budget is approximately $3.8 million.
Country Situation
Overall, humanitarian conditions continued to improve, particularly for farmers, with many assistance groups reporting successful growing seasons and harvests during the past few months. However, this year’s rainy season has been the heaviest in years. During January, the middle of the rainy season in much of Angola, heavy rains negatively impacted both agricultural production and humanitarian assistance in many areas of the country. Not only have thousands of hectares of cultivated crops in major agricultural areas such as Huambo, Bie and Kwanza Sul provinces been destroyed or damaged, but capacity to transport and distribute humanitarian assistance has been impacted by washed out roads and bridges. Land mines also become more of a problem during the rainy season.
International and national news sources continued to report on the human rights situation in Cabinda. Human rights activists continued to allege human rights abuses and harassment of civil society leaders, including complaints that a peaceful demonstration in Cabinda organized by a local civil society coalition had been cancelled at the last minute due to pressure from local police and authorities. News media also reported forced expulsions by Angolan security forces of at least 10,000 illegal, mostly Congolese, diamond workers in northern Angola. In particular, a Congolese rights group has alleged that the Angolan security forces used death threats and physical intimidation during the expulsions, prompting the Angolan government to apologize for what it described as “excesses” by its soldiers.
Civil society groups and opposition political parties – most notably UNITA – continued to voice their demands that the MPLA ruling party set a definitive date for national elections. Increasingly, MPLA officials are stating on record that elections will occur in 2006; however, a firm date remains to be set. MPLA officials continue to insist on the need to have the Constitutional revision process completed during a two-year preparation process for elections that would include drafting the appropriate legislation, policies and procedures, as well as a national registration drive. Opposition leaders have agreed with the ruling party that there is a need for the Constitutional revision process to move forward (on a positive note, a new draft Constitution was presented to the National Assembly in late January), as well as for an elections framework to be developed. However, they stress that all of these activities should take place in the context of a clearly-defined date for elections.
Human Rights Watch issued a controversial report in January alleging the disappearance of more than $4 billion in official oil revenues between 1997 and 2002. This information was based on HRW analysis of data provided by the International Monetary Fund; the HRW report is not the first occasion where such allegations have been made. The Angolan government response cited accounting problems and currency fluctuations among the factors to blame for the discrepancies, and denied any lack of commitment to transparency and sound economic policies. The response also questioned the credibility of HRW’s non-official sources.
Angola continues to push for greater support from the donor community, including a donor conference, which now seems likely to happen in the next few months. It is expected that the Angolan government will finalize a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which is required by the World Bank and other donors in order to establish conditions for additional donor assistance, in the near future. During January, Angola was also admitted to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA members receive some trade preferences with the US. Angola was denied entry into AGOA in the past due to concerns about labor, corruption and human rights, and its permanence in AGOA will be conditioned on progress on all of these fronts.
Finally, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos continued a Cabinet reorganization which had been expected following last year’s MPLA party Congress. Particularly noteworthy was the removal in January of the governor of Luanda, Angola’s sprawling capital city, and his staff. The governor has been replaced by a group of appointed officials, who, as the Luanda Management Commission, will be charged with reorganizing the city’s administrative and managerial structures, with a special focus on basic services such as sanitation and transportation. The Commission is headed by Minister of Public Works Higino Carneiro, who detractors view as corrupt and having benefited from his public office. Carneiro has begun his assignment with a positively-viewed push to improve trash collection services, and a more controversial campaign against Luanda’s illegal street vendors.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
During the month of January, OTI continued to develop new grants and implement existing activities. Staff traveled to Benguela, Huila and Huambo provinces to meet with grantees, develop new grants and monitor existing activities. Staff also traveled to Bie province, one of the most severely affected by the war, to explore possibilities for new grants in that province. OTI expects to approve its first grants in Bie during February. Highlights of OTI grant activities in January include:
- The National Counseling Center completed the establishment of five human rights protection centers in Luanda, Huila and Huambo, and realized four community workshops to inform citizens of the centers and how to use them.
- Three new farmers associations were created in Huambo province with the support of a local NGO coalition. The associations have received a donation of land from the municipal government for a community seed multiplication project, and have also begun to engage local authorities in discussions on community development issues such as education.
- Forty primary school teachers, including nine UNITA party members only recently reintegrated into the Angolan Ministry of Education, received training on new teaching methodologies by the Angolan NGO ADRA in Huambo province, as part of a school rehabilitation project which has provided learning space for more than 1,000 students.
- In Huila province, a local NGO coalition, in partnership with municipal authorities, helped establish three citizen advisory boards consisting of NGOs, church leaders, traditional authorities, teachers and others, to serve as interlocutors with local authorities on issues affecting the communities. As a result of this activity, USAID received a thank you letter from a local municipal administrator for supporting the activity and helping the community address problems in a participatory fashion.
- A civil society coalition (Free Education Now) advocating for the right to free education continued to hold workshops, debates, radio programs and meetings with teachers, parents commissions, and the media. Some members of parents commissions are now reporting decreases in demands for fees from teachers and school administrators as a result of their participation in advocacy efforts.
- Maos Livres, a local human rights defense NGO, conducted six debates for 456 citizens in three cities in Benguela province. Of the topics covered, the NGO reported that land conflicts have become a priority for local residents.
- Thirty-two listeners called in to participate in three radio debates on conflict mitigation and peace consolidation produced by the NGO Youth Solidarity Association (AJS) and aired in Benguela province. Two citizens also contacted the NGO to ask to participate directly in future broadcasts.
Four new OTI grants were approved in January:
Constitutional Reform Coalition: OTI will provide partial support to this NGO coalition whose goal is to inform and train civil society organizations to better engage in the Constitutional revision process currently taking place. OTI funds will support the coalition to travel to six provinces to implement a series of workshops to gather input which will be transmitted to policy makers.
National Institute to Support Malnourished, Unemployed and Deficient Children (INACAD) and Association for People’s Associated Development (ADS-Povo): OTI will support this Luanda-based NGO to implement an innovative program engaging local authorities and community leaders around issues of municipal resource management and transparency in two Luanda-area municipalities.
Association of Unemployed Workers: OTI will provide support to this Luanda-based NGO whose mission is to advocate on issues affecting the unemployed. OTI will support twenty-four radio debates and four workshops on social policies, peace and reconciliation.
Action for Rural Development and the Environment (ADRA): OTI will provide a grant to ADRA’s Benguela office to provide grassroots community education and training, using theatre, community debates and radio programs to inform citizens about peace and reconciliation, human rights and democracy.
B. Grant Activity Summary – USAID/OTI Angola
USAID/OTI Summary of Funds Obligated
| Media Strengthening |
$0 |
$106,950 |
0 |
4 |
Civil Society Advocacy Capacity |
$140,299 |
733,005 |
3 |
18 |
| Citizen Engagement with Local Authorities |
$25,630 |
$518,974 |
1 |
11 |
TOTAL
(January 2004) |
$165,929 |
$1,358,929
| 3
| 33 |
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In February, Creative will hire additional local staff, including an information officer and a third program development officer. Staff will travel to Huambo, Huila and Benguela provinces to inaugurate schools, monitor ongoing grants, and develop new activities. A major focus for OTI during February will be to begin programming land advocacy activities in Benguela, Huila and Huambo provinces. OTI is also working with local partners to plan a regional workshop on land, anticipated to be held in late February or early March. OTI is also planning to conduct a mid-term program evaluation in late February and early March.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Angela Martin at 202-712-5434, amartin@usaid.gov
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