The Angolan government is projecting gross domestic product growth of 5.57% for 2026, placing its forecast 0.58 percentage points below the central bank's estimate, while pointing to what officials describe as "consistent signs of resilience" in the national economy.
The Banco Nacional de Angola (BNA) revised its GDP growth projection upward last week, raising its estimate from 3.6% to 6.15% for the current year, underpinned by the momentum of the non-oil sector.
However, Secretary of State for Planning Luís Epalanga cautioned that macroeconomic stability "does not mean the absence of challenges", noting that Angola recorded a fiscal deficit of approximately 1.9 billion euros in the second quarter of 2026, driven by higher expenditure and lower revenue collection.
"This context reinforces the need to improve the quality of public spending, the efficiency of resource use, and the capacity to direct financing towards investments with greater economic and social impact," Epalanga said.
According to the Secretary of State, the Angolan economy expanded 8.74% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, following growth of 5.32% in the previous quarter. For the full year, the government maintains its projection of 5.57%.
"These results reflect greater resilience and the growing contribution of non-oil sectors," Epalanga stated at the launch ceremony of the 2026 Country Focus Report — Mobilising Finance for Angola's Development at Scale in a Fragmented World.
Epalanga also highlighted that between 2021 and 2025, the oil sector's share of GDP fell from 23.83% to 13.95%, while the non-oil sector now accounts for 86.05% of economic output. He argued that these figures demonstrate economic diversification is "progressively translating into a concrete transformation of the national productive structure".
Despite global uncertainty and an adverse international environment, he added, the Angolan economy has shown "consistent signs of resilience", reflected in the recovery of economic activity, price stabilisation with a decelerating trend, and the sustainability of public finances and external accounts.
Epalanga underscored the importance of the report prepared by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and argued that mobilising large-scale development financing for Angola, in a fragmented global context, requires economic diversification and fiscal reforms aimed at rigorous public debt management.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/21/mundo/angola/angola-governo-preve-crescimento-do-pib-de-57-abaixo-da-previsao-do-banco-central/
