The São Toméan President said on Wednesday that the country is going through a deep crisis at various levels, after 48 years of independence, so he insisted on the need for dialogues between political and social actors.
In his speech at the Central act of Independence Day, in the city of Guadalupe, in the district of Lobata, (in the northern part of São Tomé), Carlos Vila Nova said that the country still faces “immediate problems”, which have been aggravated by the unfavorable international situation, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and “the conflict between Russia and Ukraine”.
“Poverty continues to rage, the energy crisis persists, the purchasing power of the people of São Tomé is increasingly weak, there is a lack of employment, especially youth employment, the business fabric is extremely fragile, justice does not respond satisfactorily to the quarrels that plague society”, said Carlos Vila Nova.
The São Toméan Head of state added that the country’s health system “does not offer the people of São Tomé the satisfaction of their needs, private investment is incipient and often killed at birth for various reasons, families are increasingly unstructured” and political forces “do not converge on priorities and the best way to lead the country’s destinies”.
According to the São Toméan President, the path to the achievement of economic independence in São Tomé and Príncipe “has been long and difficult”, and is currently “unable to generate jobs and wealth” and guarantee progress, development and a better quality of life for all São Toméans.
“The weakness of our economy, as a result of dependence on international aid, insularity, less correct decisions taken over the years and challenges that we have not been able to overcome in these 48 years, have led the country to a situation of decay, the harmful effects of which have been felt on the lives of the populations very acutely in recent times”, emphasized Vila Nova.
The Head of State stressed that “São Toméans have been facing real and immediate problems that also require real and immediate solutions”, which must be adopted with the effort, dedication, persistence and contribution of all.
“The moment is not and cannot be one of division, but of unity. It is not and cannot be one of confrontation, but of harmony. It is not and cannot be of agitation, but of tranquility, it is not and cannot be of arrogance, but of humility, it is not and cannot be of dispersion, but of convergence, it is not and cannot be of paralyzing disagreements, but of constructive criticism”, he defended.