Professional Experience

Born in Angola, Dr. Miguel Mbiavanga Ajú is a researcher and academic with extensive international experience in African contexts and other regions, having developed work and reflection in different geopolitical spaces throughout his career. He holds a PhD and postgraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) and is also a master’s and bachelor’s graduate in Business Administration from Aberdeen Business School in Scotland. 

Institutional Affiliation:

He is an Associate Researcher at the Centre for International Studies (CEI-ISCTE), where he focuses on the study of geopolitics, security dynamics in the Horn of Africa, and regional peace operations, areas in which he has published articles in international journals and platforms.

Languages:

He speaks Kikongo, Portuguese, English, French, Lingala fluently and has a good command of Spanish.

Publications:

1. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2019) A ONU de António Guterres: os desafios de uma reforma. Jornal de Angola, Edição de 19 de Janeiro de 2019. Artigo de Jornal.

2. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2019) A Angola herdada por JLO: Uma falta de patriotismo?. Jornal Folha 8, Edição de 27 de Julho de 2019. Artigo de Jornal.

3. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2022). Reshaping the African Union Mission in Somalia: From AMISOM to ATMIS. The Horn International Institute of Strategic Studies, The Horn Bulletin, Volume V, Issue III May-June 2022.

4. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel and Franco, Ana Carina S. (2022). Response to the Somali and Malian Jihadist Movements: What Lessons for Mozambique?. Portuguese Journal of Political Science, Issue No. 17, pp. 91-105. https://doi.org/10.33167/2184-2078.

5. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel and Aleksi Ylönen (2022). The Middle East and Eastern Africa Intersected: Discussing Contemporary Connections, Cadernos de Estudos Africanos, Vol. 43, pp. 11-37, Centro de Estudos Internacionais do Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE), Portugal.

6. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2024). A Missão de Apoio à Paz da União Africana na Somália: Implicações, Riscos e Desafios nas intervenções regionais, Lisbon International Press, Lisbon, Portugal - Book.

7. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2024). Relations Politiques de la Corne de l'Afrique avec les pays MENA, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), Afkar/Ideas Issue No.72, Barcelona, Spain.

8. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2024). Relaciones políticas del Cuerno de África con los países MENA, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), Afkar/Ideas Issue No.72, Barcelona, Spain.

9. Mbiavanga Ajú, Miguel. (2025). African Union’s Quest for Peace in Somalia: Contextualizing the Transition from AMISOM to ATMIS. Book Chapter in The Horn of Africa Since 2018, Continuities, Transformations and Prospects. Edited by Jan Zahorik and Aleksi Ylönen (2025), Routledge, London, United Kingdom.