The Angolan President João Lourenço, who was re-elected this month following a closely contested election, has retained Diamantino Pedro Azevedo as the country’s minister of mineral resources, oil and gas.
Azevedo implemented the president’s plans to revamp the mining industry.
Under his leadership, Angola approved a new policy of rough diamonds trading in June 2018, which guaranteed an effective system.
Diamond producers like Catoca and Lucapa are now allowed to sell up to 60% of their output to companies of their choice, as well as to their trading divisions, breaking Sodiam’s power to select buyers.
De Beers also applied to conduct exploration activities in north-eastern Angola following substantive and consistent reforms implemented by the government of Angola.
Should the diamond giant succeed with its exploration licence application, Angola would be the only major diamond-producing nation where ALROSA, Rio Tinto and De Beers have a presence.
The country also opened a diamond hub in the Lunda Norte Province last year.
Meanwhile, President Lourenço also appointed Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves de Sousa as minister of finance, João Ernesto dos Santos to the post of Minister of National Defense and Veterans of the Homeland, as well as Eugénio Cesar Laborinho as minister of the Interior.
He appointed Téte António as foreign affairs minister and Dionísio Manuel da Fonseca as minister of Territory Administration.
Other appointments include Marcy Cláudio Lopes as Minister of Justice and human rights, Mário Caetano João as Minister of Economy and Planning and Teresa Rodrigues Dias as Minister of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security.
The president further appointed Ana Paula Chantre Luna de Carvalho as the Minister of the Environment, António Francisco de Assis as the post of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Carmen Sacramento Neto as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources and Victor Francisco dos Santos Fernandes as Minister of Industry and Trade.
Other ministers appointed include Ricardo Daniel Sandão Queirós Viegas D ́Ábreu (Transport), João Baptista Borges (Energy and Water), Carlos Alberto Gregório dos Santos (Public Works, Urbanism and Housing), Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira (Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication).
He also appointed Maria do Rosário Bragança Sambo (Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation), Luísa Maria Alves Grilo (Education), Sílvia Paula Valentim Lutucuta (Health), Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto (Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women), Felipe Silva de Pina Zau (Culture and Tourism) and Palmira Leitão Barbosa (Youth and Sports).
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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