Vera Daves is the first 36-year-old female Angolan – Minister of Finance. As the first woman to hold the position of Minister of Finance in Angola, she assumed office on the 8th of October 2019 after working her way to rise through the ranks. We are proud to be sharing her journey into ministerial position with our cherished readers.

Ms. Daves previously served as Secretary of State for Finance and now tasked with reviving an oil-based economy suffering its worst recession since the civil war ended in 2002.

Minister Vera Daves was born in Luanda and has a degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN). She also has several certificates in finance, management, and leadership and is the co-author of a book on Public Finance.

In 2011, she was the Head of Research for a Local Bank, and became a regular commentator on TV discussing finance and the economy.

Angola’s first woman finance minister, Daves’s meteoric rise started at the age of 31. In 2016, she was appointed head of Luanda’s Capital Markets Commission, which she served judicially.

She was listed in the second publication of 100 Most Influential African Women in 2020 by Avance Media.

Credit: Women Power Africa