President of Lusófona University honoured by the Angolan State

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Angola's Independence, His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, honoured several distinguished personalities relevant to the Lusophone world and to the Republic of Angola, among whom is Professor Manuel de Almeida Damásio, President of Lusófona Education.

The ceremony for the awarding of this Decoration took place in Luanda on 30 September 2025, in a session presided over by the President of the Republic of Angola.

During the ceremony for the awarding of this distinction, which greatly honours us, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Angola highlighted the contribution and essential role of the leadership of Professor Manuel de Almeida Damásio in the Lusófona Education Institutions – the largest private network of higher education institutions in Portugal and in Portuguese-speaking countries – in the training, over the past 30 years, of more than 20,000 Angolan graduates, 15,000 in Portugal, and around 5,000 in Angola, as well as the central role of the Lusófona Education Institutions in promoting student mobility within the Lusophone space, teacher qualification, scientific research, and international cooperation.

This tribute acknowledges the decisive role of the awardee in the training of Angolan national staff and in affirming education as a pillar of sovereignty and of Angola’s economic, social, and human development.