Edite Tenjua

Edite Ramos da Costa Tenjua (born 31 December 1972) is a São Tomé and Príncipe lawyer and businesswoman who was minister of justice from 2012 to 2014, served on the country's Constitutional Court from 2019 to 2020. She has been minister of foreign affairs since September 2020.

Edite Tenjua
Minister of Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe
In office 22 September 2020 – 2022
Prime Minister	Jorge Bom Jesus
Preceded by	Elsa Teixeira Pinto
Personal details
Born	(1972-12-31) 31 December 1972 (age 51)
Alma mater	University of Lisbon
Occupation	Lawyer

Early life and education

Tenjua was born in Africa on 31 December 1972^[1] and moved to Portugal in 1976.^[2] She has a law degree from the University of Lisbon, graduating in 1999.^[3]

Career

Tenjua practiced as a lawyer in Portugal and Mozambique, before becoming director of the Tax and Legal Department of KPMG Angola.^[2] In 2004, she joined Joint Authority Nigeria-S. Tomé and Principe as a lawyer, managing its legal unit from 2008 until 2010.^[2]

Tenjua is an entrepreneur and since 2006 the owner of TEN JUA Collection Fashion Brand, with stores in Sao Tome, Nigeria, and Portugal.^[2] She has also written several children's books includingTita Catita.^[2] She heads a foundation called El-Shaddai, which works with disadvantaged children in Africa to emphasise education.^[2]

Tenjua was minister of justice from 2012 to 2014.^[4][5][6] In 2019, she was the petroleum affairs advisor to the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe,^[2] before being elected to the Constitutional Court after three judges were dismissed following a disciplinary process^[3] after being accused by Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada of taking bribes in a case related to the sale of brewery Cervejeira Rosema to an Angolan company.^[7][8]

Tenjua was appointed foreign minister by Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus on 21 September, replacing Elsa Teixeira Pinto.^[9][10]

Personal life

Tenjua is a Christian.^[2]

References

1. "CV MJ Edite Tenjua".
2. "Custa muito sair da zona de conforto, mas é fundamental para o crescimento". Pontos de Vista (in Portuguese). 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
3. Dênde, Manuel (14 August 2019). "Novos juízes tomam posse e Edite Tem-Jua fica vice-presidente do Tribunal Constitucional". STP-Press. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
4. Veiga, Abel (12 August 2019). "Nova Maioria elegeu 3 novos juízes para o TC". Tela Non (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
5. "OS MINISTROS DA JUSTIÇA AO LONGO DOS ANOS". Ministry of Justice.
6. "Ministra da Justiça são-tomense na 64ªConferência do Comité dos direitos das Crianças". Jornal Transparencia (in Portuguese). 18 September 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
7. Medeiros, Oscar (7 December 2017). "Há uma máfia instalada nos tribunais do país de São Tomé e Principe, diz Patrice Trovoada". VOA (in Portuguese). Voice of America. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
8. "Caso da cervejeira Rosema está transitado em julgado e arquivado – governo são-tomense". dn.pt (in Portuguese). Diario de Noticias. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
9. "PM são-tomense remodela Governo após ultimato do PR". VOA (in Portuguese). 19 September 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
10. "STP Governo remodelado reune pela primeira vez em Conselho de Ministros". e-Global. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.