In an interview with the Portuguese television station CNN, the head of state said he thinks "every day" about his succession and wants to "help find a replacement."
"Obviously, I think every day. I think silently, as they say. It wouldn't be true to say I don't think. I have to think, it's my duty to think, because we can't let the country fall into the hands of just anyone," he stated.
"It's my obligation to help find a replacement, who will replace me. And I say help because it doesn't depend solely on my will, but I'm certainly in a better position than any other citizen to determine the path forward," he added.
The President said he wants his replacement to do the same or better: "What I want is for whoever replaces me to do the same or better than me. To do the same or better than me! If I can't achieve that, I'll feel remorseful, I'll feel, in some way, responsible for it."
"That's my fight: to do everything, respecting everything, respecting the party's statutes, the state's, the Constitution of the Republic, and the laws, to do everything to find someone who will do for Angola at least as much, or preferably better, than what I've been doing during these years in office," he stated.
On that occasion, he also expressed his hope that his successor would be young, but prepared to take the reins of the country.
"Fifty years ago, maybe not 46 years ago, we had the misfortune of losing President Agostinho Neto, the first President of Angola, who proclaimed Angola's independence. And, even then, the person who took the reins of power was a young man, only 37 years old (...)," he said, questioning whether they will regress.
"Are we going to wait for someone 90 years old? We're going backwards! If, back then, we already had the foresight to consider a young person — of course, not just any young person — a young person who, in our opinion, was prepared to take on this responsibility, today we have, equally, not one, not two, not three, but several young people who, when the time comes, will certainly be ready and prepared, from every perspective, to take the reins of Angola's governance," he added.
Another topic addressed by the head of state in the CNN interview was the 50th anniversary of national independence, which will be celebrated on November 11th of this year.
In half a century, he emphasized, much has been accomplished, but there is still a long way to go. "Independence is always worthwhile. In 50 years, we've accomplished a lot, even though we recognize that not everything is done," he stated, adding: "There are no countries that have everything finished, otherwise there would be no life. There must be work, obligations, responsibilities for all generations. Countries are meant to be built. And 50 years in the life of a country is nothing, absolutely nothing! We are trying to celebrate 50 years in the best way possible, in the most effusive way, recognizing our achievements, but also recognizing our weaknesses, which we certainly have."
Asked if Angola is the country he dreamed of since he was young, João Lourenço said that a country isn't built overnight, it's a continuous, daily effort.
"I repeat what I said at the beginning: there are no finished orders, packaged with a pretty bow and... 'Here's the Angola of my dreams, or the Portugal of my dreams.' That doesn't exist! The countries of our dreams are meant to be built every day. Every day! And with ups and downs, advances and setbacks," he stated.
"In 50 years, if we want to be realistic, we have achieved much more than the Portuguese colonial regime did in 500 years, in practically every area. Infrastructure, road networks, energy production, energy distribution, number of schools and students, desks, quantity and quality of hospitals, and number of beds. In all these areas, Angola has achieved more in 50 years than the Portuguese colonial regime – not Portugal, Portugal is one thing, the colonial regime is another – did in 500 years," he added.
Isabel dos Santos's name also came up during the interview, with the President denying that there is any "political persecution" of the businesswoman.
"The various states continue to pursue what she has done in various countries around the world. This alone undermines the argument that there is political persecution in Angola, that the Angolan government is pursuing it. But if Portugal is also behind, if the Netherlands is also behind," he said, adding: "Are Portugal and the Netherlands also engaging in political persecution? I don't think so. So, let justice continue to do its work, we are doing that here, let's wait for the outcome."
Relations between Angola and Portugal were also another topic of discussion, with João Lourenço encouraging Portuguese companies to invest in the industrial sector, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and less in trade.
"I would like to see greater investment in the industrial sector, in agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and less in trade. Fortunately, this is already happening. There are a number of Portuguese companies that for many years limited themselves to selling products to Angola, and today they have made the decision to produce those same products here in Angola. They set up factories and are doing what they did before there, employing Portuguese citizens. Today they are employing Angolan citizens because they are producing here," he stated.
