Luanda,September 26, 2008 -- Although social funds have generally been created as short term institutions, some have been in existence for over a decade due to their effectiveness on the one hand and to their complementarities to Government efforts towards poverty alleviation on the other. The Angola Social Fund (FAS) is such a case.
A newly built primary school in the Cabinda Province.
Funded in 1994 as an autonomous structure with the aim to complement government’s efforts in the building and reconstruction of Angola’s physical capital, the FAS has benefited from three credits from the World Bank, funds from other bilateral and multilateral donors and the private sector, and is now in the process of designing its fourth phase.
Plenty can be said about the success of the Fund. One of the most important elements has been its abilities to adapt to new governance contexts as well as to maintain a community-driven approach. During its first phase from 1994 to 2000, it operated in a climate of conflict with a strong focus on physical capital. It then evolved during Angola’s post conflict era into its second phase 2000-2003, where it included a human capital component to its activities.
A rehabilitated bridge in the Cabinda Province.
The Fund is now operating in a context of peace consolidation 2003-2008 (FAS III) with the development objective to achieve improved, expanded and sustainable utilization of basic social and economic services and to support a governance system where local government and communities are mutually accountable
It has over the years responded to community demands by providing small infrastructure upgrades to the poor in Angola’s 18 provinces in the areas of:
Education (elementary schools, kindergarten and children’s centres);
Health (health stations and posts);
Water and sanitation (water supply systems, latrines, combined services);
Economic infrastructures (rehabilitation of small feeder roads, culverts, small bridges);
Small-scale community/municipal infrastructure (markets, silos, chimpacas); and
Environmental infrastructure (mainly watershed protection and reforestation)
A health center in the Huambo Province.
During FAS III, the Fund has complemented the Government’s decentralisation agenda by piloting a municipal development component in 12 municipalities of Angola. It has facilitated the capacity development of municipal partners in strategic planning, the constitution of municipal forums, and the development of municipal profiles and development plans which amounted to USD5.75 million.
The FAS accounts for 3,019 infrastructures, has reached over five million beneficiaries, created 38,000 permanents jobs, with an overall disbursement of USD189 million.
With the advent of peace, the Government of Angola in fiscal year 2007-08 has increased its financial contribution to the Fund from eight percent to 17 percent.
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