The Index covers civil society organizations (CSOs) covering both advances and setbacks in seven key components or “dimensions” of the sustainability of the civil society sector: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image.
Angola is the most rapidly urbanizing country in southern Africa and experienced the world’s highest average annual economic growth between 2001 and 2010, mainly because of revenues from oil and diamonds. In 2014 income distribution remained extremely unequal, and the country produced very little in terms of manufactured goods. The cost of living remained very high, especially in the capital city of Luanda. However, the precipitous fall in the price of oil in 2014 had a massive effect on public spending, especially for social development. The government introduced several rounds of budget cuts and spending freezes, with more predicted to follow in 2015. Many international organizations have recently withdrawn from Angola and most national CSOs depended on foreign funding. Many CSOs saw their sources of income disappear. It is estimated that fewer than 10 percent of registered CSOs implemented projects in 2014.
In 2014 a new policy for the country’s administrative divisions was introduced. Among other changes, a new layer of administrators emerged, which delayed the implementation of some activities. In addition, CSO participation in citizens’ councils (CACS) was affected, as municipalities were not yet functioning and therefore CACS activities were confined to the district level.