Adjany da Silva Freitas Costa (born 1989) is an Angolan

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and conservationist from Huambo who served as the Angolan Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment from April to October 2020.

Career

Conservation and environmentalism

Costa has a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in International Wildlife Conservation Practices from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. In 2015, Costa was part of a trip from Angola to the town of

Maun, Botswana Maun is the fifth-largest town in Botswana. As of 2011, it had a population of 55,784. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district. Francistown and Maun are linked by the A3 highway. It is also the ...

via ''

mokoro A mokoro (also spelled ''makoro'', Setswana-English-Setswana Dictionary, Macmillan Botswana, 4th edition) is a type of canoe commonly used in the Okavango Delta and on the Chobe River in Botswana. It is propelled through the shallow waters of t ...

'' to demonstrate the connectivity of the

Okavango River The Okavango River (formerly spelled Okovango or Okovanggo), Also known as the Cubango River, is a river in southwest Africa. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for . It begins at an elevation of in ...

and the impact of the Angolan Civil War on the environment of the country. This formed the basis of the 2018 documentary film '' Into the Okavango,'' in which she appears. Costa was the African winner of the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

Young Champions of the Earth award in 2019 for her advocacy to protecting the Okavango Delta. She was also awarded the Angolan First Order of Civil Merit in 2019. She received this in recognition for her

community-based conservation Community-based conservation is a conservation movement that emerged in the 1980s, in response to escalating protests and subsequent dialogue with local communities affected by international attempts to protect the biodiversity of the earth. These ...

work with the Luchaze people of the Eastern Angolan highlands and the Okavango Delta. She is a

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

Explorer.

Political career

She was appointed the position of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment in April 2020 at the age of 30, making her the youngest minister in Angolan history. She was later removed from the position in October 2020 by President

João Lourenço João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (born 5 March 1954) is an Angolan politician, who has served as the president of Angola since 26 September 2017. Previously, he was Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017. In September 2018, he became the Cha ...

and kept as a consultant to the President.

References

1989 births Living people African environmentalists Angolan scientists Angolan politicians Culture ministers of Angola Environment ministers of Angola Tourism ministers of Angola Women government ministers of Angola Women conservationists 21st-century Angolan women politicians 21st-century Angolan politicians {{Angolan-politician-stub Alumni of the University of Oxford Angolan women scientists