The World Bank has played a pivotal role in Angola’s development journey for several decades, including projects such as the Luanda Bita Water Supply Project, the Commercial Agriculture Development Project, and the Education Sector Support Project, as well as initiatives focused on education and gender empowerment. Could you provide an overview of the most impactful outcomes from these efforts, and how they have contributed to Angola’s broader development goals?

Our engagement in Angola has strengthened significantly in the last few years, with a portfolio now exceeding $4 billion in development assistance. Beyond financing, we contribute through technical assistance and analytical work to inform government policy and strategies. While flagship projects such as Luanda Bita, commercial agriculture, and education are important, we also support health, social protection (notably the Kwenda project), digital development, governance, and infrastructure. These are not World Bank projects per se—they are government projects supported by our financing and knowledge. Despite challenges from external shocks like COVID-19 and global oil price volatility, progress has been notable. Angola now has a window of opportunity to sustain growth in the medium and long term, and we see our impact as broadly positive, though challenges remain.

One of the World Bank’s flagship initiatives is the Accelerating Economic Diversification and Job Creation Project, with a focus on the Lobito Corridor. How will this and other projects foster regional integration and job creation in non-oil sectors?

The Lobito Corridor is attracting significant attention. To clarify, the World Bank is not financing the corridor itself, but rather the economic activities that will develop along it. Our Diversifica Mais program, for example, ensures that interventions in education, health, agriculture, social protection, digital, and water are integrated across corridor cities. The Lobito Corridor has huge potential—not only in mining but also in promoting commercial agriculture, enabling products to move efficiently across regions. If managed properly, it can become a transformational regional integration project and a major driver of diversification and job creation.

Angola’s new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for FY23–28 will guide the World Bank’s engagement in the coming years. What are the CPF’s key priorities, and how do they align with Angola’s National Development Plan?

The CPF, which we expect to present to our Board by June 2025, is being prepared jointly with the Angolan government to ensure full alignment with its National Development Plan. It will involve not only the IBRD but also IFC and MIGA. The priorities include:

Economic diversification – advancing structural reforms to shift from oil dependence to a more private-sector-led economy.

Human capital development – ensuring Angola’s rapidly growing population has the education, health, and nutrition needed to form a strong labor force in 20 years.

Education, health, and addressing malnutrition are crucial for Angola’s long-term growth path, and these are central to the CPF.

Climate change poses a major threat to Angola’s development, particularly in agriculture and water management. What measures is the World Bank implementing to enhance Angola’s climate resilience and sustainability?

Climate change is embedded in all our operations. For Angola, we launched the Climate Change Country Development Report, which guides adaptation measures and informs project design. We’ve also studied drought impacts in the south, integrating recommendations into our water sector projects. Our approach combines prevention where possible and adaptation where necessary. All World Bank-supported projects in Angola now incorporate climate co-benefits to ensure resilience and sustainability.

Angola continues to face challenges such as poverty, inequality, and regional disparities in access to basic services. What do you see as the main obstacles to inclusive development, and how does the World Bank address these challenges, especially in underserved regions?

Inclusive development requires coordinated and complementary interventions. Through projects like Kwenda in social protection, and our work in health, education, and digital, we aim to reduce disparities and improve access. But coordination is key—avoiding duplication and ensuring complementarity with other partners. Poverty and inequality persist, but by strengthening social protection, human capital, and private-sector-led growth, Angola can build a more inclusive path.

The World Bank partners with institutions such as UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, AfDB, the EU, USAID, AFD, and private sector players. How do you work with them to maximize impact, and how are you fostering more partnerships in the region?

Our support cannot be isolated—we rely on close coordination with international institutions and bilateral donors. At the World Bank’s initiative, we created a coordination platform (the CC7, now expanded) that brings together resident representatives of all major partners, and UN agencies. This avoids duplication, optimizes resources, and ensures complementarity. We recommend institutionalizing such platforms at the government level to further enhance alignment.

The World Bank recently announced a new CPF for São Tomé and Príncipe, while also granting Angola $300 million to support diversification. What role do you see for the World Bank in the region in the coming years, and are there future projects in the pipeline?

Our role will be shaped by the CPF, built in consultation with governments to align with their priorities. In Angola, we’ll continue focusing on human capital development, economic diversification, and structural reforms. A key priority is ensuring programs like Kwenda are institutionalized, expanded, and sustainably funded. In São Tomé and Príncipe, given its smaller scale, impact is easier to measure, but both countries are important in demonstrating how tailored support—whether for resilience or diversification—can yield significant results.

You have over two decades of World Bank experience across countries such as Mexico, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Ecuador. What motivates you most about your work in Angola? What are you most proud of in your role as Country Manager?

Africa was missing in my career, and Angola offers tremendous potential to make a difference. Here, I see a clear window of opportunity for growth, and I am proud of the relationships we’ve built with government counterparts and development partners. Programs like Kwenda allow us to see direct impact on people’s lives—beneficiaries not only improve livelihoods but also create their own economic activities. Personally, I feel at home in Angola—the people are warm and welcoming, much like in Latin America. Covering São Tomé and Príncipe as well enriches my perspective, showing both the challenges of a middle-income oil-dependent country and the fragility of a small island state. If, at the end of my tenure, I can say we contributed to Angola’s diversification and resilience, I’ll consider it a success.