As Africa’s second-largest oil producer and the world’s fourth largest producer of diamonds, Angola has the potential to be a powerful economic force in Southern Africa. It has long been a military power, not shy in using its martial abilities both within and outside its borders.
Yet, more than two-thirds of its population live on less than one dollar a day and the average life expectancy is only 45 years.
A post-conflict Angola will not only have to carefully navigate the rapids of its political transition and the establishment of a more open and accountable government, but also to prioritise and deliver essential social-economic services throughout the country.
This book analyses the domestic, political, economic and social challenges facing Angola as well as the impact of the “peace dividend” on Angola’s relations with the region and the international community.
Will Angolans and the region as a whole reap the fruits of peace or will a small elite continue to benefit from the spoils of war?
