The latest assessment by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) highlights several issues hindering Angola’s progress, including difficulties identifying the ultimate beneficiaries of companies and the lack of public information regarding international loans backed by oil.
Angola’s extractive sector — which accounts for 98% of exports thanks to revenues from oil, gas, and diamonds — remains plagued by opacity and restricted access to information, according to EITI’s most recent evaluation. Published in June, the report assesses Angola’s implementation of reforms aimed at improving transparency and gave the country a score of 63.5 out of 100, which the EITI classifies as “fairly low”.
The evaluation covers three main components: transparency, outcomes and impact, and stakeholder engagement. Of these, transparency scored the lowest, with only 50.5 points out of 100, despite some positive mentions of the audited financial statements published by state-owned enterprises such as Sonangol, Sodiam, and Endiama.
The report outlines 25 specific recommendations to be implemented by April 2028, focusing on Angola’s compliance with the 2019 EITI Standard. It once again highlights chronic shortcomings in the disclosure of information related to contracts, licenses, operators, production levels, and revenues — all considered essential data points.
“We encourage Angola to ensure that the public disclosure of company payments and state revenues is timely enough to support informed public debate and policymaking,” the report states.
The authors also urge the Angolan government to facilitate access to information on budgeting, expenditures, and auditing practices.
In the other evaluation areas, Angola scored:
- 72.5 (moderate) for outcomes and impact
- 67.5 (fairly low) for stakeholder engagement
The EITI calls on Angola to publish sources and calculation methods for export volumes and values, as well as reliable information on environmental controls, administrative processes, sanctions, and details about environmental liabilities and rehabilitation programs.
EITI validation rules state that a score below 50 results in immediate suspension. If a second evaluation shows no improvement, the country may face permanent removal from the EITI.
More Recommendations
Among the 25 EITI recommendations are:
- Removing legal barriers related to contract confidentiality in the extractive sector.
- Creating a more open environment for civil society participation in discussions on laws and regulations.
- Disclosing accurate data on all major ongoing and planned projects.
- Publishing the total public revenues from extractive industries, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total public revenues.
- Publishing a list of all active mining and oil licenses and contracts, including coordinates, application dates, award dates, and expiry dates.
The EITI also calls for public disclosure of the beneficial owners of all companies and individuals applying for or holding interests in oil, gas, or mining contracts.
Source: Expansão
