Luanda - The First Lady of Angola, Ana Dias Lourenço, on Friday in Luanda, highlighted the potential of young people who have transformed and positively influenced communities.
Ana Dias Lourenço, who made the statement at the opening of the ceremony associated with the project "100 years, 100 entrepreneurs", stressed that there has been an effort on the part of young people to come up with project ideas, which confirms their will to win, using their skills, creativity and the energy of their age to find lasting solutions.
The First Lady said that more than 3,000 project ideas from the country's 18 provinces had been submitted through an official platform in various sectors of the economy, such as agribusiness, food, environment, sustainability and social development, culture and the arts, including tourism.
Ana Lourenço added that of these young people who submitted their applications, 100 were selected and awarded as winners of this great challenge.
"I was also very pleased to learn that the members of the jury, in addition to having the difficult task of selecting the 100 winners, took care to respect the gender balance, selecting more than 50% of the project ideas led by women, in a fair and accurate reflection," said the First Lady.
Ana Lourenço added that in an intelligent and committed way, the winners were able to take advantage of the support, incubation and acceleration programs, coaching and mentoring offered by Total Energies, which provided the necessary support.
First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço encouraged the winners to continue to be inspired and to develop projects that positively impact their lives, communities and the world around them, contributing to the diversification of the economy and building a fairer and more inclusive society.
"Total Energies has been demonstrating its commitment to youth and innovation since 2008 with its emblematic Eiffel Schools project, and I had the privilege of attending the laying of the foundation stone for the 5th Eiffel School later this year in the city of Luena," she said.
Thus, the First Lady added, "100 Years, 100 Entrepreneurs" is yet another example of successful public-private partnerships that will certainly contribute to the growth and strengthening of the local economic fabric and, in the long term, to a more robust start-up ecosystem in Angola.
The Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Diamantino Azevedo on his turn thanked Total Energies for launching the "100 Years, 100 Entrepreneurs" competition in 2024, stressing that it could have been in 2023, when the company celebrates its 70th anniversary in Angola, but it chose the year of the company's centenary in the world, which was better because this way there will be "100 winners and not just 70".
The General Manager of Total Energies in Angola, Martin Deffonttaines, emphasized that this was a unique ceremony for a unique project in which they are helping 100 young people to realize their dreams.
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