Américo Ramos

Américo d'Oliveira dos Ramos is a São Toméan banker and politician who has served as the prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe since 12 January 2025. He previously served as the governor of the Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe, and he has also worked for the Ministry of Finance.

Américo Ramos
Ramos in 2025
Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 January 2025
President	Carlos Vila Nova
Preceded by	Ilza Amado Vaz
Minister of Finance
In office 2014–2018
Preceded by	Hélio de Almeida
Succeeded by	Osvaldo Vaz
In office 2010–2012
Preceded by	Ângela Viegas Santiago
Succeeded by	Hélio de Almeida
Personal details
Education	Moscow State University

Biography

From São Tomé and Príncipe, Ramos studied abroad at Moscow State University in Russia, where he received a degree in economics after having attended from 1989 to 1995.^[1] He then returned to São Tomé and joined the Ministry of Finance, where he worked as a budget technician from 1995 to 1998.^[1] He then worked as head of the expenditure department from 1998 to 2000, head of the budget department from 2000 to 2001, budget director from 2001 to 2009, and director of the treasury from 2009 to 2010.^[2] In 2010, Ramos became the São Tomé Minister of Finance, a position he held until 2012.^[1] He was re-appointed to the post in 2014 and served until 2018, then becoming an economic advisor to President Evaristo de Carvalho in 2019.^[1]

Ramos was arrested in 2019 and detained for three months, charged with corruption, money laundering and other crimes.^[3] After he spent three months in the country's central prison, he was acquitted by the public prosecutor's office.^[4]

In December 2022, Ramos was appointed governor of the Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe.^[5] On 6 January 2025, President Carlos Vila Nova dissolved the government of prime minister Patrice Trovoada, for a "remarkable inability to resolve the country's many challenges," and ordered the Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party to present candidates for prime minister within 72 hours.^[6] On 9 January, the president selected Ilza Amado Vaz to be the next prime minister.^[7] However, just three days later, on 12 January, she announced her resignation from the office.^[4] After Amado Vaz's resignation, the ADI party nominated Adelino Pereira, a former attorney general, to be the next prime minister. However, instead of Pereira, Vila Nova announced on 12 January that he was appointing Ramos to be the next prime minister.^[4]