Angolan President João Lourenço heard from the Economic and Social Council on Wednesday, March 19, regarding cryptocurrencies—an activity that, despite being banned in the country, has grown in recent years, causing losses to the state, particularly in the energy sector, Lusa reported.
According to the Economic and Social Council’s deputy coordinator for the business sector, Wanderley Ribeiro, who spoke to the press at the end of the meeting, the topic of cryptocurrencies dominated the issues raised by João Lourenço.
“It is a controversial topic, and the council has been reflecting on it, examining the challenges and opportunities surrounding it,” said Wanderley Ribeiro, emphasizing that Angola has legislation prohibiting this activity in the country.
This year, the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) has already announced the dismantling of two clandestine centers engaged in this illicit activity, resulting in the arrest of at least 14 individuals, both Angolans and Chinese nationals.
In 2025, Angolan authorities announced that 41 workshops had been dismantled over a ten-month period that year, with at least 100 Chinese nationals arrested—the main actors in this phenomenon, which is occurring not only in Luanda, Angola’s capital, but in other regions of the country as well.
Cryptocurrency mining is prohibited in Angola under a law enacted in 2024 to protect the Angolan financial system and energy security
Regarding the healthcare system, there are still challenges “in terms of valuing people,” noted Wanderley Ribeiro, acknowledging that significant investments are being made, particularly in the tertiary hospital network.
“What the council proposed was a more objective analysis and approach to the primary care network, which is the one that will provide the initial support for social needs. The Executive Branch presented figures on the increase in hospital beds and the training of healthcare professionals. In the coming months, some of these results should already be visible in hospital facilities,” the official noted.
The Angolan head of state expressed concern about the challenges of population growth, having been informed that the council is currently conducting “a very in-depth study on demography in Angola.”
“We heard from the head of the executive branch some concerns regarding the capacity to manage Angola’s current population growth, which places widespread social pressure across all sectors—food, schools, and health,” emphasized Wanderley Ribeiro.
