Vila Nova served as Minister of Public Works and Natural Resources in the cabinet of Patrice Trovoada from 2010[4] until the government lost its majority in 2012.[5] He was appointed Minister of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and the Environment when Trovoada's Independent Democratic Action (ADI) regained the majority in 2014.[6] In 2018, Vila Nova was elected to the National Assembly.[4] He was nominated as the ADI's candidate for the 2021 presidential election.[5]