Policy Brief on Poverty in Angola

Policy Brief on Poverty in Angola

Introduction

Overview of the Problem

Despite its immense natural wealth, Angola has one of the highest rates of poverty in the world. In 2010 about 68 per cent of the population was living below the poverty line, surviving on less than US$1.68 per day. Fifteen per cent of the households were living in extreme poverty. The country has a very high child mortality rate. (Tvedten 2009)

Angola does not yet produce enough food to meet the needs of its population. There are major deficits and low crop yields in some provinces, and they include the staple crops of maize, millet and sorghum. In 2002 about US$210.0 million was spent on emergency aid to Angola.

Poverty is far more severe and widespread in rural areas, where an estimated 94 per cent of households are poor. Although the war ended in 2002, conditions remain extremely difficult. Housing is rudimentary and health services cover only 30 per cent of rural areas. The majority of households have no electricity and no adequate sanitation. Access to safe drinking water is also limited, and more than 60 per cent of rural households obtain their water from unsafe sources. In general women and girls are responsible for fetching the family's water, sometimes walking 1 km or more to reach the nearest source. (Mwakikagile 2010)

The civil war prompted a massive exodus from rural areas. In 2002, 35 per cent of the population was still living in towns and cities, and it is not easy to determine how many have returned to rural areas since then. The difficult conditions that prevail in rural areas are a disincentive for people to settle there and return to farming. Families that were displaced during the civil war have reverted to an entirely subsistence existence, and many have been dependent on humanitarian assistance up until recently.

The central highlands was the region most affected by the war and is now most vulnerable to food insecurity. The provinces of Huambo, northern Huíla and parts of Bié were at the core of the conflict, and most of the combatants on both sides came from these areas.

The central highlands region is subject to intense population pressure, with an estimated two thirds of the country's population concentrated there, most of them living in extreme poverty. Environmental decline is accelerating. Impoverished soils, poor farming practices and competition for farmland combine to diminish productivity and aggravate food insecurity.

Despite some progress made since the country's independence, there are still major gender disparities in Angolan culture. Men are regarded as the sole decision-makers and women as subordinate to men. Only a third of women are literate, compared to 69 per cent of men. Women have gained some autonomy as a result of the civil war. During the war women were forced to engage in trading as an alternative source of income. Migration and the impact of deaths in the war have left many more women than men in Angola. Women now provide most of the agricultural labour ...