Angola: Minister Reiterates Confidence in Angolan Youth

Luanda — Angola continues to trust, invest in, and create opportunities for its youth, reiterated the minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Falcão, this Wednesday in Luanda.

In a message sent to ANGOP, on the occasion of International Youth Day, he assures that young Angolans "study, work, undertake, create, innovate, practice sports, produce culture, develop technology, and seek to build a better life for their families and for Angolans."

He recalls that young people in the country continue to face real challenges, such as access to their first job, training, financing, housing, new technologies, and opportunities for participation, and demand faster, closer, and more effective responses. For the minister, these challenges should not be neglected, but rather faced by the authorities.

"It is the responsibility of the State to continue creating conditions, of institutions to listen more and execute better, and of society to open space for the talent and capacity of a generation that wants to participate," the document states.

It is also, he continues, the duty of every young person to transform opportunities into knowledge, work, initiative and commitment to the country. The minister argues that Angolan youth do not just ask to be heard, because "they want to participate, do and lead".

He warns that young people are wanted in schools, universities, companies, communities, associations, startups, sports fields and in different decision-making spaces to help build society.

He emphasizes that he wants a youth that does not simply wait for change, but that helps to build it, because despite the difficulties there is a need to continue trying and fighting, as well as refusing to give up on dreams.

According to Rui Falcão, Angola needs ideas, courage and to transform that energy into a true force for national development. "We don't want policies made only for young people. We want to build more and more policies made with young people.

Because when a young person finds an opportunity, they don't just change their own life. They can change a family, transform a community and contribute to changing a country," the message reads. August 12th was established as International Youth Day by the UN General Assembly in 1999 to recognize the contribution of young people to social progress and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Read the original article on ANGOP.