Angola: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Angola

The 2022 Article IV Consultation discusses that Angola’s economy continued to recover from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in 2022, supported by higher oil prices, improved oil production, and resilient non-oil activity. Non-oil growth was broad based despite a challenging external environment. Growth is estimated at 3.5 percent for 2023. The non-oil primary deficit increased in 2022 following higher-than-budgeted capital expenditure and higher-than-expected fuel subsidy costs. Nonetheless, the public debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio fell by an estimated 17.5 percentage points of GDP to an estimated 66.1 percent of GDP, aided by a stronger exchange rate. The current account is estimated to have remained in a large surplus in 2022, while foreign currency reserve coverage remained adequate. Overall growth is expected to continue in 2023 and reach about 4 percent in the medium term, as the authorities’ structural reform agenda supports the non-oil sector. Inflation should continue its gradually declining path, reaching single digits in 2024. The 2023 budget envisions a resumption of fiscal adjustment, which is necessary to approach the authorities’ twin medium-term fiscal and debt targets and guard against debt vulnerabilities.