Talatona - The Erasmus+ student and professional exchange programme (2021-2027) for sub-Saharan Africa has an estimated budget increase of 570 million euros, compared to 100 million euros for the previous programme (2014-2020), informed the European Union ambassador to Angola, Rosário Bento Pais.
The official was speaking at the session to present the opportunities offered by the "Erasmus" programme to individuals and organisations, and considered the increase of more than half a billion euros compared to the previous programme to be significant.
This is a programme that includes various initiatives linked to education and training, the main focus of which is academic mobility and the exchange of experiences.
According to the official, more than 138 Angolans, including students, teachers and administrative staff, have already benefited from the programme.
To him, more Angolans can benefit from the training opportunities that Erasmus+ provides, both in the higher education sector and in professional technical education.
In turn, the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Alice de Fátima Ceita e Almeida, explained that Agostinho Neto University is one of the higher education institutions most involved in the project, having already benefited some teachers and administrative staff.
She said that the programme in Angola is now in its third edition and could include more students.
The Erasmus+ Angola National Focal Point, Helena Miguel, said that in 2022 more than 60 higher education institutions had submitted applications to take part in the project, via the EU funding portal and with no age limit.
The Erasmus+ programme, which has existed for 37 years, is divided into several programmes, namely higher education training, student mobility and technical and vocational education training.
Since 2014, Erasmus+ has recognized the need to promote academic internationalization worldwide and has opened up to other continents.
From 2016 to 2020, more than 13,000 students, teachers and administrative staff travelled from Africa to Europe for exchanges and 8,000 students, teachers and administrative staff travelled from Europe to Africa.
The Erasmus+ programme in Angola is organised in partnership by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation and the EU delegation. GIZ/MAG/MRA/DOJ
