Luanda - The Director-General of the Action for Rural Development and Environment (ADRA), Carlos Cambuta, acknowledged on Tuesday in Luanda that there are improvements in the process of formulating the General State Budget (OGE) in Angola.
Ten years ago, access to the proposal of an OGE was only possible through the National Assembly and through singular contacts with Members of the Parliament”, while now is possible to see it through the Ministry of Finance official portal”, Carlos Cambuta said at the Public Presentation session of the Brochures on the General State Budget (OGE-2023).
ADRA and UNICEF presented the leaflets with analyses “General State Budget 2023”, “Social Protection in OGE”, “Education in OGE”, “Water and basic sanitation in OGE” and “Health and survival of the child”.
According to the Director-General, ADRA has been involved in the budget cycle for more than two decades, as a member of civil society, and has been observing improvements in this process.
Carlos Cambuta pointed out that despite of the improvements, there are still several challenges, highlighting the practical effects of the advances made in the lives of citizens, as well as the incorporation of citizens' contributions in the final document of the Executive.
“We understand, therefore, that our participation in the budget cycle is fundamental to contribute to the formulation of an OGE appropriate to the expectations of society to allow greater participation with regard to the monitoring of the implementation of public programs”, he added.
OGE should be known
The UNICEF's acting representative in Angola, Andrew Trevett, considered that a country's budget is one of the most important policies and laws for the realization of children's rights.
He stressed that the OGE is a document that should be known by all, to improve transparency in public finances and understanding of public investments.
“The analyses on the Budget are very important because they allow us to present a picture about the priorities and trends of public investment, and they allow us to assess where we have been, where we are and where we are going”, he said.
UNICEF develops this type of analysis on the Budget in several countries, as part of the advocacy work for the promotion of children's rights, so that it is possible to invest more and invest better in the sectors that affect children, young people and their families.
The State Budget for the 2023 financial year includes revenues estimated at more than 20 billion kwanzas and expenses fixed in the same amount for the same period.
HEM/NE/DOJ
