Alice de Ceita e Almeida was received in a courtesy audience, in the Noble Hall of the Provincial Government, by the Vice-Governor for the Political, Social and Economic Sector, Elizabeth Ayala, where the two responsible addressed the situation of higher education in the province.
Then, at the ceremony of laying the first stone, the Secretary of State said that the beginning of this project "will mark the history of higher education in Moxico", reaffirming the Executive's commitment to continue investing in higher education, research and innovation, "as a prosperous and sustainable Angola will only be possible with quality education".
"This infrastructure will be a reference for higher education in the province and will contribute significantly to strengthening the training offer and training highly qualified staff, prepared to drive the growth of the local and national economy", added the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation.
According to the person in charge, the province of Moxico, in the academic year 2023-2024, had three higher education institutions - one public and two private - offering a total of 24 different courses with 6,225 enrolled students.
Meanwhile, the Vice Governor for Political, Social and Economic Affairs, Elizabeth Ayala, representing the Governor of the Province, Ernesto Muangala, stated that the laying of the foundation stone of the polytechnic marks not only the beginning of an important physical infrastructure, but above all a historic milestone in the qualitative transformation of the higher education subsystem in the province. "We are taking a solid step to strengthen access to training, train our staff and, consequently, promote the socioeconomic development of the province," he said.
The project for the future Instituto Superior Politécnico do Moxico, with capacity for more than 5,000 students, includes the construction of four teaching buildings, dormitories for 400 students, 25 residences to house teachers, laboratories, cultural, recreational and technical areas.
The construction work is being carried out by the construction company H&S, China Huashi Group, with an execution period of 30 months and a contract value of 41 billion kwanzas.
Witnessing the laying of the foundation stone of the Higher Polytechnic Institute of Moxico were the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Alice de Ceita e Almeida, the Vice-Governor for the Political, Social and Economic Sector, Elizabeth Ayala, the Vice-Governor for the Technical Area and Infrastructure, Wilson Augusto, the President of the Higher Polytechnic Institute of Moxico, Manuel Bandeira, ecclesiastical and traditional representatives, MESCTI employees, members of the Provincial Government, academics, students and guests.
