It was yet another official audience, another diplomatic photo-op, another formal conversation about the great issues of humanity. João Lourenço received Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Palácio da Cidade Alta, and they talked — as the statements say — about sustainable development, peace, security, and the humanitarian crisis. Beautiful words. But what about concrete actions?
Malundo Kudiqueba
Africa no longer needs more courtesy meetings. It needs courage. It needs results. And Angola, which presents itself as a country of peace and stability, now needs to prove that it is not just a good host for diplomatic missions, but a true agent of change.
Sustainable development cannot be just a phrase repeated at international conferences. It must be translated into public policies, social justice, and fair distribution of wealth. The peace so praised in speeches is fragile if it is not accompanied by justice. And there is no true security where children remain out of school, hospitals collapse, and mothers share dry bread with crushed hope.
If the meeting with Amina Mohammed was merely another diplomatic gesture, then yet another opportunity to place Angola at the centre of solutions for Africa has been lost. But if, on the contrary, it marks the beginning of a genuine alliance between the Angolan state and the United Nations to promote effective policies against poverty, hunger, and exclusion, then this audience could have been historic.
João Lourenço stands at a political and moral crossroads. He can either follow the path of good intentions and empty phrases — sinking into international irrelevance — or decide to turn every high-level meeting into real commitments to the Angolan people.
The peace displayed today owes much to diplomacy. But Angola’s future will depend less on presidential audiences and more on consequential actions.
The time has come for Angola to stop merely hosting UN representatives and begin to be a reference within the United Nations. For that, photographs alone are not enough. Political courage is needed.
Birmingham, 15 May 2025.
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