H.E. João Lourenço
President of the Republic of Angola
João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço was born on March 5, 1954, in the city of Lobito, province of Benguela. Son of Sequeira João Lourenço, nurse, and Josefa Gonçalves Cipriano Lourenço, seamstress, both already deceased.
He did these primary and secondary studies in the province of Bié and also in the capital, Luanda, the former Industrial School of Luanda and the Industrial Institute of Luanda. From 1978 to 1982, he received military training in the former Soviet Union, in the specialty of heavy artillery. In the former Soviet Union he received his Master's degree in History Sciences. He is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish.
His participation in the National Liberation Struggle led by MPLA began in August 1974. He made his first politico-military instruction at the Center for Revolutionary Instruction - CIR "Kalunga" - in Congo Brazzaville. He joined the first group of MPLA fighters who, in 1974, entered the national territory, through Miconge, towards the city of Cabinda.
On the eve of Independence, he participated in the fighting that took place in Ntó-Iema, Cabinda province and other localities against the invasion of the Zairian armed forces, who claimed to occupy the territory of that province. Angola. He also served as Political Commissioner of the former Popular Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) in these various ranks, including Political Commissioner of the 2nd Cabinda Political-Military Region.
In the 80s of the 20th century, he participated in several military operations in the Central Region of the country, particularly in the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Huambo and Bié. In 1983, he served as President of the Regional Military Council of the 3rd Politico-Military Region.
In addition to the Armed Forces, he served as FAPLA's Chief Political Officer from 1989 to 1990. At the present time, he is a General of Three Stars, released from the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).
He joined the Central Committee of MPLA in 1985, he is also a member of its Political Bureau since 1990 and, at the VII Ordinary Congress of MPLA, realized in 2016, he was elected Vice-President of MPLA. Previously, he had previously served as 1st Secretary of the MPLA Political Bureau for Training and the Economic and Social Sector.
As a governor, in 1983, at the age of only 29, he was appointed Provincial Commissioner of Moxico Province, which is equivalent to the current position of Provincial Governor. He was following, from 1986 to 1989, Provincial Commissioner of Benguela. In 2014, by Presidential Decree, he was appointed Minister of National Defense, the position he held until the start of the 2017 election campaign.
At the parliamentary level, the citizen João Lourenço was President of the Parliamentary Group of MPLA, from 1991 to 1998 and, a posteriori, President of the Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly, having also served as 1st Vice-President of the National Assembly, from 2003 to 2004.
The citizen João Lourenço has for leisure reading, chess and hippism. He is also passionate about new information technologies.