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InternationalBusiness
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TheGeneralIssuesof
Angola

Angola is a culturally rich country with several

ethnic and racial groups living together. The major
ethnic groups in Angola today include Ovimbundu
(about 37% of the total population), Kimbundu
(about 25% of the total population), Bakongo (about
13% of the total population), and Mestizo (mixed
European and native African). The Mestizos form
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about 2% of the total population of Angola where
Portuguese is the official language. Unlike most other
African countries, indigenous beliefs reign supreme
in Angola. They help preserve some of our culture
1
and traditions.

Angola, just like its neighboring countries, is blessed

with abundance of natural resources such as gold,
diamond, bauxite, petroleum, uranium, phosphates,
copper, iron ore, feldspar, etc. However, despite the
abundance of natural resources in Angola, the
Republic of Angola remains one of the poorest
2
countries in Africa today.
The Republic of Angola has
a literacy rate of about 67.4% with female literacy
rate hovering around 54.2%. In other words, about
67.4% of the total population of Angola above age 15
2
can at least read and write.
Although this literacy rate falls below average in
Africa today, it is far better than in countries such as
Burkina Faso and Burundi. Although 67.4% is far
better than in most other African countries, quality
education is very hard to come by in Angola today.
Poor education, especially poor education for females
3
remains a major problem in Angola today.
Despite
the abundance of natural resources, Angola remains
one of the poorest countries in Africa today with at
least 55% of its total population living below poverty
line (according to a recent UNDP Human
Development multidimensional poverty Index
3
developed by Oxford University).
Life expectancy of

the total population of Angola remains around 38.76

years which is one of the worst in Africa and in the
world today.
Rampant deforestation of the tropical rain forest (the
rampant cutting down of trees for timber in response
to international demand) resulting in soil erosion,
desertification, siltation of rivers and dams, and the

loss of biodiversity, etc. are some of the major

2
environmental issues facing Angola today.
Although sex education and other youth education
programs are helping a lot in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, about 200,000 Angolans were living with
HIV/AIDS in 2009 with about 11,000 deaths recorded
3
in the same year.
In other words, the deadly
HIV/AIDS continues to tear Angola into pieces. The
deadly malaria and water-borne diseases such as
typhoid fever, protozoal and bacterial diarrhea, etc.
also continue to threaten several lives in Angola
today. Just like in most other African countries today,
corruption levels remain at all-time high in Angola.
Mismanagement of funds, Incompetent leadership
and Poor governance continue to tear Angola into
pieces.
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-----------------------------------------------------------1.

2.

3.

http://www.nytimes.com
(Website Title:
The New York Times Article Title:
Investment in Angolan Banking May Prove a
Crippling Deal for PortugalPublisher: The
New York Times Electronically Published:
July 29, 2014 Date Accessed: March 19, 2015
Author: Raphael Minder)
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/angol
a_502.html
(Website Title: UNICEF Article
Title: Background Date Accessed: March 19,
2015)
http://www.africaw.com/major-problems-fa
cing-angola-today
(Website Title: Major
problems facing Angola today Article Title:
Major problems facing Angola today Date
Accessed: March 19, 2015)

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AngolasTimesofPeace
The Republic of Angola has been at war for over 35
years. First against the Portuguese and after 1975
with outside help, between themselves. Angola has
the potential to be a wealthy developed African nation
since it possesses large petroleum and diamond
reserves. However, due to nearly 4 decades of war, it
remains to be seriously underdeveloped. The 20 year
war between the popular movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA) headed by Eduardo Dos
Santos and the National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola (UNITA) headed by Dr. Jonas
Savimbi, has left the country covered with 15 to 17
million land mines. The 1994 Lusaka Peace Protocol
signed by both the MPLA and UNITA leadership called
for a cease-fire in the war for control of Angola.
Today, an uneasy peace remains between the two
opposing factions. Many strategic analysts believe
that a large-scale civil war could recur due to UNITA's
unwillingness to turn over its many diamond mines to
the Angola MPLA government under President
Eduardo Dos Santos.
UNITA has used its powerful position of controlling
the diamond mines in the Lunda provinces to finance
its guerrilla struggle against the MPLA government.
Although other European colonial powers granted
independence to their colonies after World War II,
Portugal, on the other hand, kept Angola as a colony
until 1975. Separate wars for independence sparked
in 1961, when Portugal was unwilling to discuss
eventual independence for Angola (Dept. of State 3).
The combined forces of the Popular Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for
the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National
Union for the Total Independence succeeded in their
struggle in removing the Portuguese colonial
government in April, 1974 (Dept. Of State 3).

The unified forces of the MPLA, the UNITA, and the

FNLA succeeded in their rebellion not because of their
success in battle, but to elements of the Portuguese
Armed Forces that staged a coup at Lisbon in 1974
(Laidi 64). The Portuguese Armed Forces overthrew
the Lisbon government in protest of ongoing African
+colonial wars. The Portuguese government removed
the remaining elements of its colonial forces, replaced
its military governor and established signed the Alvor
Accord of 1974. The Alvor Accord called for a
transitional government comprising all three
independence movements (the MPLA, UNITA, and
FNLA) and elections to prepare of independence in
1974. By the summer of 1975, the transitional
government collapsed and a bloody struggle for power
began between the MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA.
-----------------------------------------------------------------*1)
http://www.ugs-angola.com/the-angolan-civilwar-the-concept-of-blood-diamonds-explained.php
Website Title: The Angolan Civil War: the concept of
"Blood Diamonds&quote; explained
Article Title: UGS Angola
Date Accessed: March 23, 2015
*2)
http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/angola.htm
Website Title: Angola Diamond Mining and War
Article Title: Angola Diamond Mining and War
Date Accessed: March 23, 2015
*3)
http://www.thebanker.com/Reports/Special-Re
ports/Angola-10-years-of-peace
Website Title: - The Banker Article Title: Angola: 10
years of peace Date Accessed: March 23, 2015
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