Paulo Kassoma
Prime Minister of Angola
Incumbent
Assumed office  30 September 2008
President	José Eduardo dos Santos
Preceded by	Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos
Born	6 June 1951 Luanda, then a Portuguese colony
Political party	Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola

António Paulo Kassoma (born 6 June 1951) is an Angolan politician. He has been Prime Minister of Angola since 30 September 2008.^[1]

Kassoma was born in Rangel municipality, located in Luanda, the capital. His parents, Paulo Kassoma and Laurinda Katuta, were from Bailundo, a town in Huambo Province. He studied electromechanical engineering.^[1]

From 1978 to 1979, Kassoma was Deputy Minister of Defense for Weapons and Technology in the government of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). He was later Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication from 1988 to 1989, then Minister of Transport and Communications from 1989^[1] to 1992. He was moved to the post of Minister of Territorial Administration on 9 April 1992.^[2]

Kassoma was later the Governor of Huambo Province^[3] and First Secretary of the MPLA in Huambo Province.^[4] On 11 February 2002, Kassoma offered white farmers in Zimbabwe who lost their farms as a result of that country's land reform the opportunity to resettle on 10,000 hectares of abandoned farmland in Huambo^[5][6] (specifically, in Chipipa^[6]) and grow maize. According to Kassoma, this could contribute to Huambo's economic development.^[5][6] At the party's Fifth Ordinary Congress in December 2003, Kassoma was elected to the MPLA Political Bureau.^[1]

On 26 September 2008, following the MPLA's victory in the September 2008 parliamentary election, the MPLA Political Bureau chose Kassoma to succeed Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos as Prime Minister.^[3][7][8] In accordance with the Political Bureau's decision, President José Eduardo dos Santos appointed Kassoma as Prime Minister on 30 September 2008; in the same decree, he dismissed Kassoma from his post as Governor of Huambo Province.^[9] Kassoma was sworn in by dos Santos at the Presidential Palace in Luanda on the same day.^[1] Speaking to the press afterwards, Kassoma said that he would place a priority on accelerating the process of national reconstruction. He said that he was proud of his appointment, while also expressing some sadness about leaving the people of Huambo.^[10]

Kassoma's government was appointed on 1 October. There were 35 members of this government, 17 of whom were new to the government.^[11]

[edit] References

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