Luanda — At least 85 Angolan students will benefit from internal and external scholarships, from the next academic year, within the framework of the social project 'Okutanga', of the National Agency of Petroleum, Gas and Biodiversity (ANPG).
The project covers 100 percent of tuition fees, health and student insurance, a monthly stipend, and one annual trip for students studying abroad, among other benefits.
The initiative, now in its second phase, is backed by annual funding of US$1.5 million through 2031 from the oil company ExxonMobil, with support from Sonangol, the Block 15 Association, Azule Energy, and Equinor.
At the scholarship award ceremony held this Monday in Luanda, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, emphasized that the initiative serves as a tool for national development.
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He stated that the initiative demonstrates how Angola's mineral resources can be transformed into knowledge, skills, and opportunities for its citizens.
He praised the collaboration among the project's funders, arguing that corporate social responsibility should yield initiatives capable of improving people's lives, creating opportunities, and contributing to the development of citizens better prepared to face current and future challenges.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Diamantino Azevedo noted that the scholarship represents an opportunity to learn, grow, develop their capabilities, and build a better future, while also carrying a responsibility toward their families, the funding institutions, and the country.
"The scholarship is just the first step. The path you are now embarking on will require dedication, discipline, humility, perseverance, and the ability to overcome adversity. There will be difficult moments, but you must not let obstacles deter you from the goals you have set," he urged. On the other hand, it acknowledged the lack of opportunities relative to the number of young people with talent, intelligence, creativity, and the drive to succeed.
"Talent may exist in every family, but the conditions to develop it are not always within everyone's reach. It is precisely this gap between talent and opportunity that programs like Okutanga seek to help bridge," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Paulino Jerónimo, Chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of the ANPG, announced that the second cycle of the scholarship program aims to train 200 scholarship recipients by 2036.
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He regarded academic training, combined with upbringing within the family, as one of a nation's greatest investments.
He highlighted that the "Okutanga" project scholarships are part of the oil sector's social responsibility efforts to contribute to the university education of Angolan youth.
Okutanga--a term meaning "to study" in the national language Umbundu--aims to support Angolan students aged 17 to 23 who have a minimum grade average of 14.
Support is provided through full funding for undergraduate degree programs in Angola and abroad (Portugal and Brazil).
Applications for this edition were accepted from April 20 to May 1 of this year.
In the first edition, 200 young Angolans received scholarships for undergraduate studies--150 within the country and 50 abroad--while another five are currently pursuing master's degrees overseas. CPM/ASS/DOJ
