Angola’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Francisco da Cruz, reiterated on Wednesday (3), in Doha (Qatar), the Angolan Government’s commitment to promoting digital skills linked to real opportunities in agro-industry, energy and services.
Speaking at the High-Level Meeting on Least Developed Countries, the ambassador stressed that Angola is also heavily investing in education, technical and vocational training, and the expansion of education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The diplomat, who took part in the panel on “Policy Support for Structural Transformation and Job Creation in Graduating Least Developed Countries (LDCs)”, focused his remarks on how LDCs can strengthen skills development, entrepreneurship and quality infrastructure to support production and agribusiness.
He highlighted that, under the United Nations 2030 Agenda, quality education and skills are essential factors for economic transformation.
Regarding entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a key driver of diversification, Francisco da Cruz stated that Angola is expanding incubators, technology hubs and targeted support for SMEs.
He illustrated this with concrete examples such as the Orange Digital Center Angola, launched in 2023 to provide digital skills and startup incubation; KiandaHub, one of the country’s main innovation hubs; and the Acelera Angola programme, which supports early-stage entrepreneurs.
He said the country is strengthening support for SMEs through credit lines from the Angola Development Bank (BDA) and the Programme to Support Diversification and Import Substitution (PRODESI), which provides facilitation, technical assistance and support for productive investment.
On quality infrastructure, he noted that inadequate energy supply, poor logistics and insufficient digital connectivity are among the biggest obstacles to growth in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
He pointed out that Angola is addressing these gaps through strategic projects such as the Lobito Corridor, the expansion of electricity, modern logistics platforms and improved digital infrastructure.
2030 Agenda and the Seville Commitment
Angola’s Permanent Representative to the UN acknowledged that the 2030 Agenda, the Seville Commitment and the Doha Programme of Action converge around the same principle: coherence at national, regional and global levels is essential to build productive capacity, diversify economies and ensure resilience beyond the transition phase.
He recalled that the Seville Commitment advocates blended financing, risk-mitigation tools, impact investment and green financing aligned with national strategies — in other words, what the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for.
Source: Angop
