Angola’s President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos is stepping down but will remain the leader of the ruling party.

He has been in power for almost four decades. Mr Dos Santos, president of the oil-rich country since 1979, announced in a televised address that the MPLA party’s candidate in the August election will be Defence Minister Joao Lourenco.

He has been accused of ruling with an iron-fist, and of nepotism after he appointed his daughter Isabel dos Santos as head of the state oil company Sonangol.
She has been named by Forbes magazine as Africa’s richest woman, worth an estimated $3.3bn (£2.3bn).

Representatives for Ms Dos Santos deny that her wealth is largely due to her father’s position as president. – Agencies