Angola deserves new leader after 38 years

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. (Photo: Courtesy)

The announcement by Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos that he will retire after 38 years should be greeted with tempered relief. The strongman has been at the helm for far too long and the country will need fresh blood to steer it up a new course following the collapse of the economy last year.

Only five years ago, Angola was one of the fastest growing economies in the world — it re-wrote history books when it pumped billions of dollars into the economy of its former colonial master, Portugal, at the height of the financial crisis. However, fortunes changed with the collapse of oil prices in 2013 and the country has barely had enough money to pay salaries. Indeed, Angola is relying on Chinese patronage to stay afloat.