Joaquim do Espirito Santo
Ambassador of Angola to the United States
Ambassador Joaquim do Espírito Santo was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to the United States of America by His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola. He presented his credentials letter to the President of the United States on September 16, 2019.
From 2011 — 2018, he served as Director for Africa, Middle East, and Regional Organizations in the Ministry of External Relations of Angola. He also served as Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Angola to France, from 2004 — 2009 and Minister Counselor and Chargé d'Affairs at the Embassy of Angola to Mexico, from 2002- 2004.
Prior to that, Ambassador Espírito Santo served in various senior positions in Angola’s Ministry of External Relations, including as the Director for Europe and as Director for Africa, Middle East, and Regional Organizations. Throughout his career, Ambassador Espírito Santo has represented Angola as part of several high-level international delegations and in bilateral and multilateral negotiations, including at the African Union and the United Nations. He is also an accomplished lecturer, having presented around the world on issues related to African development, peace, and security.
Ambassador Espírito Santo holds a degree in economics from Agostinho Neto University (Luanda, Angola) and a master’s degree in political science from the School of Advanced Political Studies (Paris, France). He is multilingual, speaking Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, and some African languages.