A project titled ‘Impactful entrepreneurship for inclusion and diversity in Africa,’ applied in the two Angolan cities, aims to assist 45 young people “between the ages of 14 and 18 in learning to transform simple ideas into small businesses,” as detailed in a statement.
The training will be delivered by the Portuguese management school in collaboration with the Angolan NGO USEPHA, which specializes in “skills development for managing micro and small businesses,” the press release stated.
“Empowering adolescents for financial sustainability is one of this project’s goals, operating in mining zones where child labor and forced marriages are frequent,” the statement added.
For ISCTE Business School, opening businesses in crucial sectors such as agri-food and information technology “requires technical skills and the development of soft skills to negotiate, lead teams, or resolve conflicts.”
The third phase of this program, initiated in November 2024, with a second edition in April, will begin in August.
From August, the program will be implemented in Dundo and Luena, “regions associated with the rampant exploitation of diamonds, a sector generating substantial wealth but whose benefits rarely reach local populations,” explained ISCTE.
“Mining activity—often entirely informal and inadequately regulated in many areas—has exacerbated phenomena such as child labor, forced marriages, and adolescent recruitment by criminal networks,” emphasized the program coordinator and vice-president of the school, Renato Pereira.
This program anticipates ten training actions by 2027, where participants will learn “to develop a business from scratch,” including “budgeting, production planning, setting prices, negotiating with partners, and presenting ideas clearly,” as highlighted in the document.
Additionally, it aims to develop soft skills like “integrity, networking, resilience in the face of persistent challenges, conflict resolution, and teamwork.”
“Outside of sessions, weekly meetings will occur at the USEPHA headquarters in Dundo, where complementary fundamental skills, such as computer tools and strategic social media use, will be deepened,” according to the statement. The NGO was founded by an ISCTE doctoral candidate, Angolan Adolfo Caiji Cabeia.
This project is linked with local institutions, including the provincial government of Lunda-Norte, the National Institute of Support for SMEs (INAPEM), Lueji A’Nkonde University, and media outlets in that Angolan region.
The project is funded by the Portuguese management institution “as part of the school’s strategic initiatives budget, along with sponsorship from some Angolan partners,” the document concluded.
