Angola’s managers and civil servants involved in the preparation and execution of state contracts are required to complete a declaration of assets and income, under a regulation approved at the end of 2018 by President João Lourenço.

The Regulation on Declarations of Goods and Income, Interests, Impartiality, Confidentiality and Independence in the Formation and Execution of Public Contracts, which is part of the Strategy of Moralisation in Public Procurement, also obliges managers and public officials to present the list of companies, consortia or associations in which there may be a conflict of interest in public procurement procedures.

The measure, cited by the Novo Jornal newspaper, is explained by “the need to foster a culture of probity and accountability” of civil servants involved in processes of preparation and execution of state contracts, “in order to guarantee greater impartiality and transparency” in activities involving public funds.

The order, in force since its publication in the Official Gazette on 31 December, 2018, provides that the staff responsible for the preparation of the parts and other documents of the procedure, such as members of the Evaluation Committee, as well as the technicians responsible for the management and performance of the contract must complete the declaration must provide an income statement.

The Statement of Assets and Income must be completed at the beginning of each financial year, in the case of managers and public officials, and at the beginning of the term of office, in the case of holders of political offices.

For members of the Evaluation Committee, a Declaration of Impartiality, Confidentiality and Independence must be completed within five days of appointment for each procedure. (macauhub)