A formal mission to Angola by eight executive directors of the African Development Bank Group is now complete. Meetings were held between the delegation and representatives of important ministries, including planning, agriculture, and finance.
The National Bank of Angola's Governor, José de Lima Massano, met with the executive directors and discussed the country's achievements in changing financial regulatory systems and processes as well as stabilizing the exchange rate. The visit took place between March 6 and 10.
The Chamber of Commerce, BFA (Bank of Fomento Angola), Standard Bank, Industrial Association of Angola, the association of agro-livestock producers, Angola Development Bank, and the Association of the Bank in Angola hosted a meeting where the directors also met private sector players in the agricultural sector. They met with the team from the bank's local office and listened to presentations on the macroeconomic and fiscal situation of the nation as well as the activities of the Bank there.
The delegation was led by Gerard Bussier, the executive director for Mauritius, who discussed the significance of the Bank's support for the field of science and technology education.
The directors observed the effects of the transformational education project firsthand while on a visit to CAZENGA Secondary School number 3114 in Luanda.
Over 800 students have received scholarships as a result of the project, including 610 scholarships for girls studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Additionally, the project has funded state-of-the-art biology, physics, and chemistry laboratories for the school.
The directors' attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony for the planned Science and Technology Park of Luanda, which the Bank will finance as part of the Science and Technology Development Project, was another highlight of their trip. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESCTI) is in charge of carrying out the Project for the Development of Science and Technology (PDCT).
The ceremony, which highlighted the stages of construction and its effects on Angolan society, was presided over by Maria do Rosário Bragança, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Angola.
The park's construction is anticipated to take 30 months.