Angola: Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Requests for Modifications of Performance Criteria and Waivers for Performance Criteria Applicability and Nonobservance—Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Angola

Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Requests for Modifications of Performance Criteria and Waivers for Performance

Abstract

Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Requests for Modifications of Performance Criteria and Waivers for Performance

Recovering from the Covid-19 Pandemic

1. Angola continues to face challenges on multiple fronts related to the COVID-19 shocks. Coming after four consecutive years of recession, the shocks from COVID-19 have driven an even larger output contraction in 2020. This decline has compounded the hardship for many Angolans, who were already facing high levels of poverty and falling incomes.1 Containment measures, especially a country-wide lockdown, depressed domestic activity, while Angola also experienced large terms-of-trade and balance of payments shocks. The number of COVID infections has not been as high as initially feared, although it has risen recently.

  • Oil exports remain weak. Global oil prices began to recover in late 2020, but only partially. With activity and maintenance disrupted by the pandemic, oil and gas production dropped by about 6 percent in 2020.

  • The non-oil economy is recovering only gradually. Non-oil GDP output plunged 9.2 percent y/y in Q2 2020, at the height of lockdown measures. Resilient agriculture growth provided a modest counterbalance. Activity appears to have recovered partially in the second half of the year, but with lingering balance sheet effects and extended high unemployment, demand has likely remained muted. Staff expect non-oil output to contract by 2.9 percent for the year.

  • Inflation remains high. Inflation rose throughout 2020 and is expected to end the year at 25 percent. This rise was driven by COVID-related supply disruptions (both domestic and international), exchange rate depreciation, and the modification of the new value-added tax (VAT) in September 2020. Food inflation has risen even faster (31 percent y/y in October), disproportionately hitting some more vulnerable segments of the population.

  • Strong fiscal consolidation has continued in 2020 despite the recession. The non-oil primary fiscal deficit (NOPFD) in 2020 is projected to narrow more than expected, down to 4.3 percent of GDP (significantly below the 5.7 percent recorded in 2019 and 5.9 percent projected for 2020 at the time of the Third Review). In addition to overperformance on non-oil revenues in the first half of the year (especially for VAT and corporate income tax (CIT)), revenue measures in the July supplementary budget delivered an additional 0.2 percent of GDP. The nominal freeze on non-essential spending on goods and services (at 2019 levels) and on new hiring (except in the education and health sectors) also delivered substantial savings. Social assistance spending has been safeguarded, however, with the end-June 2020 indicative target (IT) met. Despite these efforts, the public debt ratio is expected to peak at over 130 percent of GDP by the end of 2020, mostly because of exchange rate depreciation.

  • Angola’s external position has weakened substantially in 2020. With the slump in global oil prices, compounded by a decline in oil production, goods export receipts are projected to drop by 40 percent. The impact on the current account has been partially mitigated by a large contraction in imports, driven by real depreciation and the fall in domestic demand, and by reduced oil company profit transfers abroad. Overall, the current account balance is projected to shift from a large surplus to a small deficit (¾ percent of GDP). The financial account deficit is also projected to widen in 2020, as the absence of market access and larger deposit outflows more than offset the impact of reduced net foreign direct investment outflows (as overseas oil companies supported their Angolan subsidiaries). While exceptional financing, reflecting bilateral debt reprofiling and the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), substantially mitigated the balance of payments (BOP) deterioration, it has also been partly financed by gross international reserves (GIR) drawdown, with reserve import coverage declining 2 months to 9.9 months (Tables 4a4b).

  • Banks remain vulnerable to shocks in the current fragile economic context. Banks are operating in a challenging environment of protracted recession, high inflationary pressures, and a continued depreciation of the Kwanza. Banks record high levels of nonperforming loans (NPLs) and their asset quality has been further challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Capital levels remain adequate, however, for all but two banks (below).

Table 1.

Angola: Main Economic Indicators, 2019–23

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Sources: Angolan authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Includes debt of the Central Government, external debt of state oil company Sonangol and state airline company TAAG, and guaranteed debt.

Includes debt guaranteed and excludes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Excludes debt guaranteed and includes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Table 2a.

Angola: Statement of Central Government Operations, 2019–23

(Billions of kwanzas, unless otherwise indicated)

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Sources: Angolan authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Historical figures may include valuation effects related to foreign-currency denominated deposits. Projections for 2020–23 include deposit withdrawals from FSDEA.

Includes repayment of debt owed to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Spending on education, health, social protection, and housing and community services. For 2020 onwards are projected floors.

Includes debt of the Central Government, external debt of state oil company Sonangol and state airline company TAAG, and guaranteed debt.

Includes debt guaranteed and excludes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Excludes debt guaranteed and includes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Table 2b.

Angola: Statement of Central Government Operations, 2019–23

(Percent of GDP)

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Sources: Angolan authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Historical figures may include valuation effects related to foreign-currency denominated deposits. Projections for 2020–23 include deposit withdrawals from FSDEA.

Includes repayment of debt owed to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Spending on education, health, social protection, and housing and community services. For 2020 onwards are projected floors.

Includes debt of the Central Government, external debt of state oil company Sonangol and state airline company TAAG, and guaranteed debt.

Includes debt guaranteed and excludes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Excludes debt guaranteed and includes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Table 2c.

Angola: Statement of Central Government Operations, 2019–23

(Percent of non-oil GDP)

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Sources: Angolan authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Historical figures may include valuation effects related to foreign-currency denominated deposits. Projections for 2020–23 include deposit withdrawals from FSDEA.

Includes repayment of debt owed to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Spending on education, health, social protection, and housing and community services. For 2020 onwards are projected floors.

Includes debt of the Central Government, external debt of state oil company Sonangol and state airline company TAAG, and guaranteed debt.

Includes debt guaranteed and excludes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Excludes debt guaranteed and includes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Table 2d.

Angola: Statement of Central Government Operations, 2019–23

Debt reprofiling recorded as exceptional financing (Billions of kwanzas, unless otherwise indicated)

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Sources: Angolan authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Historical figures may include valuation effects related to foreign-currency denominated deposits. Projections for 2020–23 include deposit withdrawals from FSDEA.

Includes repayment of debt owed to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Spending on education, health, social protection, and housing and community services. For 2020 onwards are projected floors.

Includes debt of the Central Government, external debt of state oil company Sonangol and state airline company TAAG, and guaranteed debt.

Includes debt guaranteed and excludes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).

Excludes debt guaranteed and includes debt owed by the Central Government to Sonangol related to the National Urbanization and Housing Plan (PNUH).