Young people are "an enormous and important asset, in which we must invest more and more, to generate unprecedented multiplier effects on the development of our country", said the minister.
According to the minister, holding the aforementioned forum "is in line with the aims of the National Development Plan (PND) 2023-2027, with regard to promoting the development of human capital and stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation, which are clearly evident in the priorities of the Comprehensive Youth Development Programme and the Employment, Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training Programme".
"In our country, young entrepreneurs are increasingly becoming a vital part of the economic landscape, with progress being made in several sectors, including information and communication technologies, digital entrepreneurship, agriculture, fashion and tourism, to name just a few examples, and this diversification is crucial for our economic resilience", she stated.
Among other aspects, the Minister also said that there is no doubt "about the dynamic role of young Angolan entrepreneurs in defining the country's economic future". However, she added that young entrepreneurs "still face enormous challenges, such as limited access to financing, inadequate infrastructure and even some bureaucratic obstacles that can impede the growth of startups, business incubators or even companies with some maturity, among others".
Thus, the Minister of State stated that the PND 2023-2027 programs "have priority actions" to overcome these obstacles. Aimed at providing support to young entrepreneurship, the actions underway include "financing opportunities, training programs, creation of incubation centers, among others".
According to the Minister, the success of these actions "depends on access to quality".
"Aware of the enormous challenges we still face in improving the quality of teaching in the area of basic education, the Executive has increased the supply of public establishments, duly equipped with teaching resources in order to increase admission and school enrolment rates", she pointed out, adding: "It has also improved the conditions for training teachers and school managers".
On the other hand, the "updating of the curriculum plans" is underway, she said, adding that, with a view to "opening young people to the global world, improvements have been introduced in the teaching and learning of French and English".
As for Higher Education, the Minister said that in public and private institutions "a curriculum plan is being prepared so that students acquire skills and abilities for entrepreneurship, which will make it possible to expand initiatives to create business incubators in these institutions".
In her speech, Maria do Rosário Bragança also mentioned the future Science and Technology Park in Luanda: "The construction of the Science and Technology Park in Luanda (...), scheduled to open in 2025, is an initiative by the Executive that aims to boost the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, where the business sector, academia and entrepreneurs will interact".
"The aim of this forum is to share ideas and products from young people, present the impact of the Executive's policies on youth for entrepreneurship and innovation and obtain contributions so that it is possible to make the best use of innovative ideas and projects, as well as identify ways to reverse the poor access of young people to technological innovation", said the minister.
The forum will take place this Thursday and Friday on the Marginal in Luanda.
