Biography
H.E. Arlindo Bota Manuel Carlos is Secretary of State for Energy at Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water (MINEA), a post to which he was appointed on 19 February 2024. He serves under Minister João Baptista Borges, alongside a separate Secretary of State for Water. According to the ministry, Angola has about 6.4 GW of installed generating capacity and is diversifying its electricity mix through solar photovoltaic generation, storage and hydropower.
Carlos represents the ministry on major infrastructure and cooperation matters. In July 2025 he led a MINEA delegation to Brazil, meeting Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and institutions including the electricity regulator ANEEL and the national system operator ONS to discuss energy planning, system and market operation, regulation and technical training. He has also presided over the signing of two contract addenda for the Caculo Cabaça hydroelectric project, designed to add 2,172 MW to the grid, with its first turbine due to operate in 2027.
Carlos has taken part in efforts to widen electricity access. In September 2025 he represented the minister at the start of works to electrify six municipalities in Huambo province, and he has accompanied the minister at the inauguration of solar parks in eastern Angola, including Lucapa in Lunda Norte in June 2025 and Cazombo in Moxico Leste. These are part of a programme of solar parks intended to bring electricity to more than one million people in eastern Angola.
His work also covers sector reform and regional integration. He attended the January 2026 meeting of the Committee for the Reform of the National Electricity Sector, which reviewed the new Electricity Law and alternative models for organising the sector, and has joined talks with Namibia on a planned electricity interconnection and the binational Baynes hydroelectric project. In May 2026 he led the press conference launching the ministry’s 2nd International Conference on Energy and Water, on themes including sustainability, the energy transition and investment.
Career Highlights
- Appointed Secretary of State for Energy at Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water on 19 February 2024
- Led a Ministry of Energy and Water delegation to Brazil for energy cooperation talks in July 2025
- Presided over the signing of two contract addenda for the 2,172 MW Caculo Cabaça hydroelectric project
- Led the May 2026 launch of Angola’s 2nd International Conference on Energy and Water
On the AETC Stage
“If you do not have electricity, you cannot realise your country. You cannot have a commitment with the future. You cannot bring up the younger generations. You cannot dream even if you do not have electricity. We have a proverb: Please, don’t walk in front of me or of us. I may not follow you. Don’t walk behind me. I may not lead you. Walk beside me. Be my friend. Let’s jump together.”
