ORSB – ANGOLA COUNTRY STRATEGY PAPER 2011 - 2015
mortality, illness, and absence from
work and school. The government
recognizes the important contribution of
the health sector to growth and poverty
reduction. It has significantly increased
the sector’s budget in recent years. In
2007, the health budget was US$75 per
capita, representing about 3.4 percent of
GDP. Recent data from Statistics
Institute’s 2010 survey shows some
good progress over the last 10 years in
several areas (see box 3).
antiretroviral therapy (ATR) only 25
percent of HIV infected people are
currently receiving ART. The budget
allocated to the national response to
HIV/AIDS has tripled in recent years.
Education
2.2.5 Neglected for 30 years, the
biggest challenge is lack of qualified
human resources. The GoA has taken
this as a priority. In 2009 7.86 percent
of the national budget was allocated to
the sector, of which roughly 80 percent
was earmarked for primary and
secondary education. The GoA has
expanded compulsory and free primary
education to 6 years, reformed curricula
and
invested
heavily
in
the
reconstruction of the school network and
in the recruitment of teachers. Official
numbers report an increase, between
2002 and 2006, in the number of
schools by 143 percent. In that same
period, more than 70,000 new teachers
were recruited. However, more than 75
percent of teachers never received any
relevant training and only 54 percent of
enrolled children complete the primary
level. Secondary education is under a
significant transformation with both
physical expansion (32 institutes were
constructed between 2008 and 2009)
and the realignment of the courses to
the needs of the private sector.
Enrollment in higher education has
grown by more than 50 percent a year
since 200210, but quality has declined
due to the weak regulatory frameworks
to oversee increased number of private
institutions appearing on the scene.
Box 3: Relevant Health Improvements
Since the civil war ended in 2002, relevant
progress has been attained:
• Maternal mortality decreased by 57.1
percent to 600 deaths in 100,000 live births
• Overall child mortality rate is down 20
percent to one in five
• Malnutrition dropped from 35% to 23% of
the population
• Prevalence of
underweight
children
decreased from 37% to 16%
In spite of such efforts, the impact on
health outcomes has been moderate life expectancy at birth estimated at 47
years in 2010 is still among the lowest in
the world. This is mainly due to the low
coverage, poor targeting and lack of
quality of services. There is also a
discrepancy
between
the
strong
investment in health infrastructures, i.e.
hospitals, health centers, and health
posts, and the insufficient and
geographically unevenly provision of
health professionals.
2.2.4 With an estimated 2.5 percent
of the adult population HIV positive,
Angola has the lowest rate of HIV
prevalence in continental southern
Africa. There is a National Strategy
Plan on HIV/AIDS (2007–2010), and a
comprehensive HIV/AIDS law to protect
the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS
(PLWHA). Although Centers in Angola’s
18
provincial
capitals
provide
Gender
10
World Bank unpublished study: Angola Higher Education
Status Report – final draft June 2006.
8