‘Eliminate redundant and inefficient bureaucracy’: five minutes with Angola’s João Quipipa
João Quipipa, former secretary of state at the Angolan Treasury, now executive board member at UNITEL – the country’s part-government-owned telecommunications company – shares his proudest career achievements, his desire to see more digital public services, and why when travelling he likes to ‘feel’ people’s daily lives first hand
When did you join the public service?
In 1996, as a university student, I was invited to join the staff of the National Budget Directorate within the Republic of Angola’s finance ministry and started there following interview.
What have you accomplished in your career that you are most proud of?
I have gathered huge cross-sectional experience on the economic, financial and productive realities of Angola, in addition to building relations with the IMF, the African Development Bank and other organisations.
I was an active player in the implementation of numerous public institutions, among which I highlight the Core of the Stock Exchange and the Capital Markets Commission; the Development Bank of Angola (BDA); the Institute for the Public Business Sector (ISEP); the Support Fund for Agricultural Development (FADA), and Recredit, which is dedicated to recovering bad credit from banks, primarily public banks.
I also actively participated in the team that conducted the first issuance of Eurobonds in Angola in 2015, and helped conduct the technical adoption of the ‘programme-budget methodology’ for the purposes of drawing up Angola’s General Budget in 2014.
If you could introduce one civil service reform, what would it be?
Continued digitalisation of public service delivery processes in the spheres where it is applicable, eliminating redundant and inefficient bureaucracy.
Can you cite a lesson or idea from abroad that has helped you and your colleagues?
The debate on the implementation of VAT in China, during an Angola-China cooperation internship. Discussions at Global Government Finance Summits – on the Estonian experience and experiences on consolidation of accounts, for example, have been useful.
Are there projects or innovations in Angola that could be of value to your peers abroad?
I believe that the adoption of an integrated public finance management system and the establishment of a single treasury account are essential for the purposes of transparency when it comes consolidated public accounts.
What attributes do you value most in people?
Flexibility and adaptability.
What is your favourite thing to do at the weekend?
Trips to get to know my country and the world, during which I can also assess business opportunities. I always take the opportunity to “feel” in person what is happening in the daily lives of the people and societies I visit.
What is your most precious asset?
For me, life itself. It is indisputable, non-negotiable.
What was your first car?
A KIA Pride, 1997.
Read more from our ‘Five minutes with’ series:
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‘No matter how senior we get, we must be open to hearing views across the table’: five minutes with GovTech Singapore’s Karen Kee
‘It’s impossible to lead people who don’t trust you’: five minutes with Slovenia’s public administration chief Peter Pogačar
‘Characters of all types abound in the Public Service’: five minutes with The Bahamas’ deputy director of transformation and digitisation, Carol Roach
About Mia Hunt
Mia is a journalist and editor with a background in covering commercial property, having been market reports and supplements editor at trade title Property Week and deputy editor of Shopping Centre magazine, now known as Retail Destination. She has also undertaken freelance work for several publications including the preview magazine of international trade show, MAPIC, and TES Global (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) and has produced a white paper on energy efficiency in business for E.ON. Between 2014 and 2016, she was a member of the Revo Customer Experience Committee and an ACE Awards judge. Mia graduated from Kingston University with a first-class degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
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