Luanda - The Vice-President of Angola Esperança da Costa highlighted on Thursday the government’s continued commitment to improve the training of women and young people within the framework of the empowerment and learning program for all, PAT II.
Esperança da Costa made the statements at the opening of the “Women In Mining Oil & Gas”, conference taking place in Luanda, under the motto: Building the future - towards the next generation of women leaders in the mining, oil and gas industry in Angola.
The Vice-president cited the adult education program, which provides new opportunities for young people and the improvement of the science, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem as the most appropriate forms of training and in line with the country's development prospects.
Esperança da Costa expressed concern that the number of women graduating in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has fallen in recent years, explaining that jobs in these areas have been identified as an important factor for innovation and growth.
The politician added that the government has increased the number of scholarships with a high percentage for women, thus motivating female participation in these courses.
The Vice-President launched a challenge to all national and international companies to provide programs that lead to a significant increase in the number of women trained in STEM areas in order to make a greater contribution to the development of the sector.
According to the Vice- President, the oil and gas sector plays a crucial role in the country's economic growth and is essential to maximize the use of the resources already identified, as well as ensuring that the legislation and contractual agreements that encourage the exploitation of new resources are implemented to boost the creation of business and new investments.
Esperança da Costa stressed that the world is changing, with worrying situations for global security becoming apparent, such as war in Europe, the Middle East, the proliferation of conflicts in Africa and other regions, which is raising awareness of the undeniable importance of the mining, oil and gas sector.
“Although we are adopting forms of circular economy, the world cannot live today without the resources extracted by this industry, which has the challenge of, on the one hand, developing its productive activity in such a way as to satisfy the needs of the markets, and, on the other, seeking to do so rationally in the light of global environmental concerns,” Costa stressed.
Africa's potential in the mining sector
The Vice-President added that Africa has considerable oil and gas resources, but when it comes to the participation of women, the challenges are demonstrably enormous, as armed conflicts and situations of political and social instability profoundly affect gender, children and families.
Data on human development, gender equality and women's empowerment in Africa show that although 61% of African women are working, they still face economic exclusion, undervalued jobs and low wages and are mainly concentrated in the informal sector.
The Vice-President added that women's health has been seriously affected by harmful practices such as child marriage, early pregnancy, sexual and physical violence and high maternal mortality.
Esperança da Costa said achieving gender equality and empowering women is an urgent task for everyone and that the government remains committed to promote women and combat all forms of segregation.
The Vice-President defended the need for African countries to establish greater cooperation between them to implement policies focused on gender issues, in order to share tools, strategies and experiences between sectors.
“Reality shows that countries that invest more in gender equality and in empowering young people and women perform better in human development,” she said.
“At the same time, in order to guarantee inclusive growth in Angola and Africa, more than half of its population, girls, women and young people need to play transformative roles,” she concluded. FMA/SC/TED/AMP
