Senior Advisor, Extractive Industries and Human Development Center
Rafael Marques de Morais is a leading Angolan human rights and anti-corruption activist. He serves as the executive director of the Centro de Estudos Ufolo para a Boa Governação (Ufolo Good Governance Study Center), and he is the founder of Maka Angola, the country’s leading anti-corruption watchdog.
As part of Ufolo’s partnership program “United for Education,” Rafael is leading advocacy efforts to secure more government funding for primary public schools. This initiative aims to ensure that the execution of Angola’s constitutional provision of guaranteeing children’s rights to access education in a conducive learning environment. The project has trained over 700 teachers and has built or rebuilt a total of six primary schools.
The Ufolo has also been engaged in prison reform, launching several projects to “Humanize Jails.” Ufolo trains prison guards and relevant officers in best practices and establishes libraries in prisons for the benefit of inmates. Ufolo also trains police officers in the appropriate use of force and lethal weaponry in compliance with human rights standards, and constructive engagement with the public to enhance trust
Rafael has published extensively on corruption and human rights in Angola, including the books: Blood Diamonds, Torture and Corruption in Angola (2011), Misery and Magic Fuel Mayhem in Cafunfo (2021), and The Ethnic Conflict in Cazombo (2022).
Rafael Marques de Morais has received eight prestigious international awards for his work as a journalist and human rights defender. He holds a BA (Hons) in Anthropology and Media from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and an MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford.