Biographical Data
President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço was born on March 5, 1954, in the city of Lobito, Benguela province. He is the son of Sequeira João Lourenço, a nurse, and Josefa Gonçalves Cipriano Lourenço, a seamstress, both deceased. He is married to Ana Afonso Dias Lourenço and father of six children.
Academic and Military Education
He completed his primary and secondary education in Bié province and later in Luanda, at the former Industrial School of Luanda and the Industrial Institute of Luanda.
Between 1978 and 1982, he received military training in the former Soviet Union, specializing in heavy artillery. In the same country, he obtained a Master's degree in Historical Sciences.
He is fluent in English, Russian, and Spanish.
Participation in the Liberation Struggle
Starting in August 1974, he participated in the National Liberation struggle led by the MPLA, having completed his first political-military instruction at the "Kalunga" Revolutionary Instruction Center (CIR) in Congo Brazzaville.
He was part of the first group of MPLA combatants who, in 1974, entered national territory through Miconge, heading to the city of Cabinda.
On the eve of Independence, he fought in combat in Ntó-Iema, in Cabinda province, and in other locations against the invasion of the Zairian army that sought to occupy the territory of that province.
Military Career
He served as Political Commissioner of the then People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) at various levels, including the position of Political Commissioner of the 2nd Political-Military Region of Cabinda.
During the 1980s, he participated in various military operations in the central region of the country, namely in the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Huambo, and Bié. In 1983, he served as President of the Regional Military Council of the 3rd Political-Military Region.
In the Armed Forces, he also served as Head of the Political Directorate of FAPLA between 1989 and 1990. He is currently a Three-Star General in the reserve of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).
Political Activity in the MPLA
He has been a member of the MPLA Central Committee since 1985 and a member of the Political Bureau since 1990. Following the 7th Ordinary Congress of the MPLA, held in 2016, he was elected Vice-President of the party.
Previously, he served as 1st Secretary of the Political Bureau and also as Secretary of the MPLA Political Bureau for Information and for the Economic and Social Sphere.
Government Functions
In the governmental sphere, he was appointed in 1983, at the age of 29, to serve as Provincial Commissioner of Moxico, a position equivalent to the current role of Provincial Governor.
Later, between 1986 and 1989, he served as Provincial Commissioner of Benguela.
In 2014, he was appointed by Presidential Decree as Minister of National Defense, a position he held until the beginning of the 2017 electoral campaign.
Parliamentary Activity
At the parliamentary level, João Lourenço was President of the MPLA Parliamentary Group between 1991 and 1998.
Later, he served as President of the Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly and served as 1st Vice-President of the National Assembly between 2003 and 2014.
Personal Interests
In his free time, he dedicates himself to reading, chess, and horseback riding, also demonstrating great interest in new Information Technologies.