The Order of Angolan Economists (OEA) will go to the polls this Saturday, May 23, starting at 9:30 a.m., with three candidates competing to succeed current president Maria de Lourdes Bravo.
The candidates are Afonso Clemente Zinga, leading List A; Samora Machel Januário e Silva, representing List B; and Wilson Caimbo Sapalo Neves, heading List C, all running for a four-year mandate.
Afonso Clemente Zinga is campaigning on a platform that promises to transform the OEA into a national technical reference body, with proposals including the implementation of a certification system within specialist colleges, the updating of the Code of Ethics, the creation of a guideline fee table, and the launch of an Economic Observatory.
Meanwhile, Samora Machel Januário e Silva has centred his campaign on modernisation, strategic repositioning, and the promotion of economists. His programme highlights raising the profession’s technical standards, promoting continuous training, and ensuring active participation in national economic reforms.
Wilson Caimbo Sapalo Neves completes the list of contenders in the race for the presidency of the economists’ association, focusing on pluralism and the geographical decentralisation of the Order beyond Luanda. He also proposes the integration of young professionals, internal modernisation, and positioning the organisation as a technical partner to the Executive in public policy areas such as economic diversification.
The leadership race has been marked by a tense atmosphere and mutual accusations among the candidates, including claims of programme “plagiarism”, lack of quality in proposals, insinuations, and attempts to undermine personal and institutional credibility.
The Order of Angolan Economists was established in 2018, with more than 250 professionals who, by right, acquired the status of founding members. It was created under the Framework Law on Public Associations in response to the need to enhance and promote the economics profession in the country.
This is the second election in the OEA’s history and will determine the new president and governing bodies for the 2026–2030 term.
Source: Expansão
