Luanda, Jan. 9, 2026 (Lusa) - The governor of the Angolan central bank on Friday pointed out that the challenge for 2026 is to focus on domestic production of goods and services, particularly foodstuffs, in order to continue the downward trend in inflation, which reached 15.70% in 2025.
Manuel Tiago Dias, speaking to the press about the evolution of the inflation rate in 2025 and the main factors that contributed to its slowdown, said that several industrial units are expected to start operating this year, which will contribute to an increase in the supply of essential consumer goods.
Year-on-year inflation in Angola stood at 15.70% in December 2025, a slowdown of 11.80 percentage points compared to the same month in 2024, when prices rose 27.50%, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
According to the National Consumer Price Index (IPCN) note, inflation also slowed compared to the previous month, when it stood at 16.56%, falling 0.86 percentage points.
According to the governor of the National Bank of Angola (BNA), exchange rate stability, increased supply of goods in the economy and control of payment instruments, particularly means of payment in domestic currency, contributed to the fall in inflation in 2025.
"And to top it all off, we had an increase in our international reserves, which puts us in a favourable position to continue our efforts to reduce inflation in our economy and thereby also contribute to the recovery of the population's purchasing power," said the central bank governor, quoted by Angolan public radio.
With regard to exchange rate stability, Manuel Tiago Dias highlighted that 2025 saw "a virtually unchanged exchange rate" for several reasons, particularly the substantial increase in foreign currency on the foreign exchange market.
"In 2025, commercial banks bought from oil companies, diamond companies and also from various customers - in what we call regular purchases - around US$8.8 billion (€7.4 billion), compared to around US$7 billion (€5.9 billion) in the same period in 2024," he said.
Manuel Tiago Dias stressed that the amount purchased corresponds to the period between January and November 2025.
NME/AYLS // AYLS
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