In the 8th Conventional Session of the Council of Ministers: Angolan Administration Endorsed the National Policy of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- The administration of Angola glorified the National Policy of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, during the decisive assertion of the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers.

Virtually, the communiqué expresses that, the legal tool comprises a set of regulations and actions to guarantee the safe and sustainable practice of traditional and complementary medicine, founded on the purpose of accepted research and technological development in biotechnology area and to integrate the National Health System. In addition, the legal tool also strives to incorporate into the National Health System traditional medicines scientifically evaluated, safe, effective and of quality.

The aim is, among other aspects to create reference centers, promote the qualitative and quantitative production of several species of medicinal plants and other natural resources, irrespective of the expansion of the Angolan Traditional Pharmacopoeia.

In another development, the Council of Ministers also certified a Regulation that affirms the terms and conditions of authorization, organization, and operation of the Private Credit Information Centers (CPIC). These are forces accountable for collecting, storing, and managing information on the fulfilment or non fulfilment of credit obligations by natural or legal persons, as well as for preparing the respective history.

The session also ratified the National Policy on Volunteering, which determines how public and private entities and citizens can take part in in social and community actions, in an unpaid way, that strive to assist individuals, families and communities.

“With the adoption of this policy, the aim is to promote a culture of social cohesion capable of contributing to a better quality of life for citizens and strengthening the values of citizenship,” reads the communiqué.

In the field of mineral resources, oil and gas, the Council of Ministers authorized Angola’s Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy for the period 2020-2025. The strategy seeks to improve and strengthen the replenishment of the stocks to mitigate the deterioration in hydrocarbon production, through the authorization of legal acts that render exploration activity consistent the more, with the legal administration of auxiliary exploration activities in the development areas.

The approval of the Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy is aligned with the legal and fiscal regime applicable to exploration, research, evaluation, development, production and sale of natural gas in Angola, as well as with the general plan for the granting of oil concessions for the period 2019-2022.

A certain occupation regime related to managers, technicians and administrative workers of the National Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Agency, as well as the respective remuneration regime has also been adopted. The government modified the Presidential Decrees 76/19, 55/19 and 54/19, which grant the national concessionaire the mining rights for prospecting, research, development, and production of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in Blocks 45, 44, and 30, respectively. The amendment aims to modify the exploration periods from six to eight years, and production from twenty to thirty years, in the concession areas of the Blocks.

The Council of Ministers also approved the Presidential Decree that approves of the collection of fees and emoluments for services capitalized by Public Institutions of Secondary Education. The measure hopes to boost the compilation of financial resources essential to pursue the public interest and to meet the desires of the community at the level of the respective institutions.

The Legal Regime for the Initial Training of Early Childhood Educators for Primary and Secondary School Teachers was also ratified. The legal tool ascertains the circumstances for the creation, organization, operation, and evaluation of all initial teacher training courses, given in higher education pedagogical institutions and, transitorily, in those of secondary pedagogical education. And the aim is to discern the introductory teacher training courses as qualification for the exercise of the teaching profession in pre-school education, in primary and secondary education.

Evidently, In the framework of foreign policy, the Council of Ministers upheld various bilateral cooperation instruments, primarily the consensus between the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of the Republic of Angola and the German Academic Exchange Service (DMD) of the Federal Republic of Germany, in the field of training at graduate level.

Other bilateral cooperation instruments now approved by the Council of Ministers are the agreement between Angola and the Federal Republic of Germany (on air transport). The agreement between Angola and Rwanda (on the creation of the Joint Cooperation Committee), and the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Angola and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.

Likewise, the Council of Ministers decided on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on political consultations.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

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