Queue during fuel shortage in Luanda, December 2017 (AMPE ROGERIO/AFP)
- Angola has raised diesel prices by just about half as subsidies are phased out.
- A liter of diesel costs the equivalent of R4.60.
- Protests erupted last year when gas prices soared. For now, there is peace in Luanda.
Angola's petroleum products regulator has increased diesel prices by about 48% from Tuesday as part of the government's efforts to rein in high subsidies that are straining public finances.
The regulator announced in a statement dated April 22 that diesel prices have been increased to Kwanza 200 per liter (equivalent to R4.60 per litre) from Tuesday.
The previous diesel price was Kwanza 135 per liter.
Regulators left prices unchanged for other fuels, including gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas.
Finance Minister Vera Daves de Sousa said last month that Angola was committed to eliminating all fuel subsidies without incurring any backlash.
Last June, fuel prices nearly doubled, prompting thousands of people to take to the streets and sparking deadly protests.
But things were calm in the capital Luanda on Tuesday.
Angola is one of a number of major oil producing countries in Africa that are under pressure from rising debt costs and soaring pump prices. Nigeria, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all called for the phase-out of fuel subsidies, sparking significant public anger.
In mid-2023, widespread violence erupted in response to rising gasoline prices, and motorcycle taxi drivers were prominent in the protests in Luanda. Police arrested dozens of people and used tear gas to disperse the crowd.