The Government, represented by the Minister of Finance, Santina José Rodrigues Ferreira Viegas Cardoso, along with several members Executive, is participating in the seminar “Budget Outlook 2026”, organized by Committee C of the National Parliament, which is responsible for Public Finance Affairs. The event takes place on October 16 and 17, 2025, at the Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Auditorium in the Ministry of Finance. 
The seminar aims to promote transparency and constructive dialogue among the National Parliament, the Government, the Central Bank, the Court of Appeal, civil society, and development partners, within the framework of reviewing the General State Budget (GSB) Law Proposal for 2026.
Over the two days of sessions, Government members are presenting the main guidelines of the budget proposal, which was approved by the Council of Ministers and submitted to the National Parliament on October 1st.
The first day of the seminar featured speeches by the President of the National Parliament, Maria Fernanda Lay, the President of Committee C, MP Cedelizia Faria dos Santos, the Minister of Finance, Santina Cardoso, the Minister Marcos da Cruz, representing the Vice- Prime Minister and Minister Coordinator for Economic Affairs, the Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Verónica das Dores, the President of the Court of Appeal, Afonso Carmona, the Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Sara Lobo Brites, and the President of the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno (RAEOA), Régio da Cruz.
In her remarks, the Minister of Finance highlighted that “the General State Budget is the main tool to drive economic growth, especially through investments in development capital.” She further emphasized that “these projects have the potential to promote economic diversification, allowing other sectors to grow and contribute to the non-oil Gross Domestic Product.”
The Minister also acknowledged the fiscal challenges faced by the country, particularly its dependence on the Petroleum Fund and the need to maintain infrastructure investment, while simultaneously advocating for better conditions to develop the private sector and strengthen the national economy.
The 2026 General State Budget (GSB), under the theme “Investing in National Transformation, Regional Integration, and Inclusive Development,” reflects the vision of the Ninth Constitutional Government to reinforce economic growth and improve public service delivery for citizens. The consolidated budget ceiling, set at 2.291 billion US dollars, is based on projected GDP growth of 4.3% for 2024 and 4.5% for both 2025 and 2026, driven by household consumption and improved public investment implementation.
The 2026 budget continues the implementation of the Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 and the Program of the Ninth Constitutional Government, focusing on four key structural pillars: Investment in social capital — health, education and social protection; infrastructure improvements — roads, electrification, telecommunications, and potable water supply; Economic diversification — agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and private sector development; and Institutional strengthening — public administration reform, decentralization, and good governance.
The “2026 Budget Outlook” Seminar, as defined in the review schedule of the GSB 2026 Law Proposal, precedes the public hearings of parliamentary committees (October 17–24), the general debate on the budget proposal (scheduled for November 5–7), and the specialized debate (starting November 10), culminating in the final overall vote by November 24.
The event gathered members of Parliament, Government officials, representatives of development partners, and civil society organizations, reaffirming their joint commitment to transparency and good governance in the national budget process.