According to Africa Trendy, a digital media firm specializing in opinion-based rankings and crowdsourcing, unveiled their roster of wealthiest individuals in Angola where the former President of the nation Jose Eduardo Dos Santos leads with a wealth estimated at around $20 billion USD.
Angola’s Enduring President
Besides holding the title of the wealthiest individual in the nation, he is an Angolan statesman who served as the President of Angola. During his tenure, he held the position of the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces. His party was the initial political party to govern the country after it gained independence in 1975. He governed the nation for the lengthiest period from 1979 to 2017. He amassed this wealth during his years in power.
Early Life
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos was born on August 28, 1942, in the district of Sambizanga in Luanda. He is the elder son of Angola’s former imprisoned leader, Avelino Eduardo Dos Santos, and Jacinta Jose Paulino. He attended primary school in Luanda for his early education and then pursued his secondary education at the Liceu Salvador Correia, now known as Mutu ya Kivela.
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos’ Entry into Politics
During his secondary education, he joined the MPLA, marking the beginning of his political career. The colonial government’s repression led him to go into exile in neighboring Congo-Brazzaville in 1961. After joining the MPLA, he quickly rose through the ranks of the party. In 1969, he moved to the Soviet Union to continue his studies, where he studied at the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemical Institute and obtained degrees in radar communication and petroleum engineering. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos is now the most influential and wealthiest figure in Angola, and one of the most influential men in Africa.
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos married three times and had six children from his three wives, and one born out of wedlock. His first wife, Tatiana Kukanova, was of Russian origin, whom he met while studying at Azerbaijan Oil and Chemical Institute. Dos Santos and Kukanova’s children, including Isabel Dos Santos, are among the wealthiest women in Africa and are considered among the 100 most influential women in the world by the BBC. One of his children, Filomena Sousa, served as Chair of Fundo Soberano de Angola alongside her sibling Maria Luisa Abrantes Perdigao. Meanwhile, one of his children is an Angolan artist, Coreon Du.
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos’ Wealth Origins
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos’ personal wealth is estimated at $750 million, but some question how the MPLA was able to amass this fortune. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos’s wealth is primarily derived from petroleum, but the current government has indicated that it intends to diversify the economy by promoting various factors such as natural resources, tourism, gold, and diamonds.
Wow, it’s impressive that José Eduardo Dos Santos is still considered the wealthiest man in Angola even after his presidency. It makes me curious about how he accumulated such a vast fortune. I wonder if his wealth is a result of his political connections or if he had successful business ventures. It would be interesting to learn more about his background and how he managed to maintain his wealth.