Elias Piedoso Chimuco

Elias Piedoso Chimuco (born 4 December 1969) is an Angolan businessman, philanthropist, politician and diplomat. He is the founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fundação Piedoso, honorary president of Grupo Chicoil S.A., chairman of the Board of the General Assembly of Banco YETU S.A., and owner of the Universidade Independente de Angola (UnIA).

Biography

Early life and education

Elias Piedoso Chimuco was born on 4 December 1969 in the municipality of Katchiungo, Huambo Province, the son of Horácio Chimuco and Aurora Cassinda.

Through diversification, new companies were incorporated into the holding, forming Grupo Chicoil S.A., a conglomerate operating in the hospitality, construction, private security, agribusiness, real estate and transport sectors. Chimuco served as administrator from 1992 to 1997, as chairman of the board from 1998 to 2011, and has held the position of honorary president since 2013.

In the banking sector, Elias Chimuco is chairman of the Board of the General Assembly and majority shareholder of Banco YETU S.A., an institution founded in June 2014 which began operations in September 2015.

In higher education, he is the owner of the Universidade Independente de Angola (UnIA), based in Luanda, which has graduated over eight thousand students and was reinaugurated in December 2023 in the presence of former Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos Fonseca. He also owns the Instituto Superior Politécnico Privado de Menongue (ISPPM) in Cuando Cubango Province, and chairs the Board of the General Assembly of DEA – Desenvolvimento do Ensino em Angola (Development of Education in Angola).

Political career

In 2012, Elias Chimuco was elected as a member of the National Assembly for the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), representing the provincial constituency of Cuando Cubango. He is a member of the MPLA Central Committee.

Diplomatic activity

Since 2011, Elias Chimuco has served as honorary consul of the Republic of Namibia in Angola. In April 2024, he was accredited for a second term in this role, covering the provinces of Benguela, Huíla and Cuando Cubango, with responsibility for safeguarding the interests of Namibian citizens in Angola and handling diplomatic matters between the two countries.

Philanthropy

Red Cross of Angola

In 2000, Elias Chimuco assumed the role of vice-president of the Red Cross of Angola.

The foundation's mission is the implementation of social programmes in the areas of education, healthcare and vocational training, aimed at improving the living conditions of children, young people and vulnerable families in Angola. It operates in several provinces, including Cunene, Huambo, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Bié and Bengo.

In August 2023, the foundation donated a residence to the Bunjei mission of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola (IECA), located in the municipality of Chipindo, Huíla Province, as part of the celebrations marking the mission's centenary jubilee.