USAID's Strategy in Angola

Angola is at a critical juncture in its history as it begins the transition from war to peace. In August 2002, the Government of the Republic of Angola (GRA) and the National Union for the Independence of Angola (UNITA) declared an end to the 27-year devastating civil war.

An entire generation has grown up with the reality of constant, violent armed conflict; a conflict that has left a million dead, four million dislocated and severely affected, and created some of the worst social and economic conditions in the world. As the country moves toward a new era of peace and stability, it will continue to face a major humanitarian crisis. Angola now fights a war of a different sort: a war against poverty, severe malnutrition, poor education, lack of basic human rights, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

The end of the country's civil war has opened new opportunities for Angolans and the international donor community to come together to affect real and lasting political, economic and social development. Although the end of the war has removed many obstacles to long-term development, others have been created. Addressing immediate humanitarian and emergency needs is critical to national reconciliation, resettlement and reintegration if Angola is to move toward a stable democracy with good governance and economic prosperity.

Economic rehabilitation, effective national reconciliation, resettlement/ reintegration of war-affected populations, reconstruction of crucial infrastructure and the establishment of democratic and free market economic processes. Angola is the United States' eighth largest supplier of oil, one of its largest trading partners in Africa in general, and has the potential to play an important role in Southern Africa's regional stability.

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