Joaquim Duarte da Costa David

Minister of Industry

Date of Birth: 06/04/1951
Place of Birth: Lobito, Benguela

Ethnicity: Mbundu

Career: Oil engineer, Petrangol (Petrofina affiliate), 1978; Oil engineer, Texaco, 1978-82; Division Chief, hydrocarbon production, Sonangol, 1982-89; Director General, Sonangol 1989-1998; Minister of Finance, 1999-2000; Minister of Industry, 2000 to date.

Education: Mineral Science and Engineering, Agostinho Neto University, Luanda, 1978; Oil Management, Tufts University, Boston, United States, 1979; College of Petroleum Studies, Oxford, United Kingdom, 1988

Commentary: A political ally of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Joaquim David managed the state oil company, Sonangol, in collaboration with the apparatchiks at the Presidency, which overruled the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank. The volume of Sonangol revenue routed through the Presidency, outside government control, has attracted criticism from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in the past. Another concern is the amount of oil sold forward to raise money for arms. David kept out of the limelight during the time that he managed Sonanbol, aside from welcoming visiting oil executives and energy ministers to Sonangol. He was appointed Minister of Industry in 2000.