The first person to hold the title of First Lady of Angola was
Maria Eugénia Neto, the wife of
Agostinho Neto, who became the first president of Angola after its
independence from Portugal in 1975. She was a poet and a political activist who supported her husband's struggle for liberation. She worked with the
Organization of Angolan Women (OMA) from 1968, which aimed to mobilize women for the independence movement and social development. She remained First Lady until her husband's death in 1979. The second First Lady was Tatiana Kukanova, a Soviet citizen who married
José Eduardo dos Santos in 1970. She met him when he was studying in Azerbaijan and followed him to Angola after its independence. She was a teacher and a translator who spoke several languages. She also supported various social causes, such as education, health and women's rights. She divorced dos Santos in 1984 and returned to Azerbaijan with their daughter Isabel dos Santos, who later became Africa's richest woman. The third First Lady was
Ana Paula dos Santos, a former fashion model and air hostess who married dos Santos in 1991. She served as First Lady for 26 years, making her the longest-serving holder of the title. She completed a course of law at the
Agostinho Neto University and was involved in several charitable and humanitarian initiatives. She founded the
Lwini Foundation for social solidarity, which supports landmine victims, women and children. She also represented Angola at various international events, such as the Micro-credit Summit for Heads of States and Governments in Washington, D.C., in 1997. The fourth and current First Lady is
Ana Dias Lourenço, an economist, politician and former government minister who married João Lourenço in 1989. She has a degree in economics from Agostinho Neto University and a certificate in macroeconomic policy and management. She served as the Minister of Planning of Angola from 1999 to 2012 and as an executive director at the board of the
World Bank Group from 2014 to 2016. She also held various positions as the President of the National Council of Statistics, President of SADC's National Commission, National Coordinator of the FED Fund, Angola's Governor for the World Bank and
African Development Bank and Member of the
Government's Economic Cabinet. She became First Lady in 2017 when her husband was elected president. == List of First Ladies ==