José Brito

José Brito ( born March 19, 1944 in Dakar, Senegal ) is a Cape Verde diplomat and politician.

Biography

After school he first studies of mathematics and physics at the University of Abidjan, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Physics. He completed post-graduate studies in chemical engineering at the French Institute of Petroleum, which he also finished with a master. After that, he was Technical Director of an oil refinery.

Shortly after independence was Brito, a member of the former single party Partido Africano da Independencia de Cabo Verde ( PAICV ), 1975 and 1977, initially appointed Secretary of Prime Minister Pedro Pires Minister for Development Planning and External Assistance in his cabinet. This office he held 14 years to the end of Pires ' term of office on 4 April 1991, after the defeat of the PAICV in elections to the National Chamber. From 1985 to 1991 he was himself also a deputy of the National Chamber.

Brito himself retired first from politics and in 1992 was founder and director of African Future, a project of the United Nations, the African governments assisted in the wrapping and implementation of processes of long-term strategic planning. Subsequently, he was from 1997 to 2001 Manager, and then most recently vice president for government relations of Ocean Energy, a US-based oil company.

After the victory of PAICV in the elections of 2001, he was appointed by President Pires as ambassador to the United States. In this role he was also accredited to 2006 as Ambassador to Canada and Mexico.

After his return Prime Minister José Maria Neves appointed him as part of the re- election victory of PAICV in March 2006 as Minister of Economy, Growth and competition in the Cabinet. As part of a Government reshuffle, he was appointed on 27 June 2008 as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities. On 21 March 2011 he was replaced by Jorge Borges.