Seven presidential decrees appoint non-resident ambassadors to Africa and the Caribbean

The President of the Republic, António José Martins Seguro, appointed seven Portuguese diplomats as non-resident ambassadors to countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania, through decrees published in the Diário da República, 1st series, no. 176, of September 10, 2026. The appointments cover the Republic of Nauru, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Belize, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Uganda, South Sudan, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The seven decrees, numbered from 134/2026 to 140/2026, were signed on August 12, 2026, and countersigned on September 4, 2026, by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Artur dos Santos de Castro de Campos Rangel. All were issued under the terms of Article 135, paragraph a), of the Constitution, upon the proposal of the Government.

Appointments for Africa

First-class minister plenipotentiary Paulo Neves Pocinho was appointed non-resident ambassador to three African countries, accumulating representation duties in the Republic of Burundi (decree no. 137/2026), the Republic of Uganda (decree no. 138/2026), and the United Republic of Tanzania (decree no. 140/2026). Meanwhile, ambassador Paulo Jorge Pereira do Nascimento was appointed to South Sudan (decree no. 139/2026).

Appointments for the Caribbean and Oceania

First-class minister plenipotentiary Carla Manuela Lourenço Saragoça was appointed non-resident ambassador to the Republic of Nauru (decree no. 134/2026). First-class minister plenipotentiary Manuel Frederico Pinheiro da Silva was designated for the Co-operative Republic of Guyana (decree no. 135/2026), and second-class minister plenipotentiary Pedro Abecasis de Andrada da Costa Pereira for Belize (decree no. 136/2026).

Appointed diplomats and destinations

• Carla Manuela Lourenço Saragoça — Nauru (decree no. 134/2026)
• Manuel Frederico Pinheiro da Silva — Guyana (decree no. 135/2026)
• Pedro Abecasis de Andrada da Costa Pereira — Belize (decree no. 136/2026)
• Paulo Neves Pocinho — Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania (decrees no. 137, 138, and 140/2026)
• Paulo Jorge Pereira do Nascimento — South Sudan (decree no. 139/2026)

The appointment of non-resident ambassadors allows Portugal to maintain diplomatic representation in countries where it does not have a permanent embassy, strengthening the national presence in regions of growing geopolitical and economic relevance, particularly on the African continent and in the Caribbean.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 176, September 10, 2026, Presidency of the Republic (official reference: decrees of the President of the Republic no. 134/2026 to 140/2026).