Lubango Local Entrepreneurship Center (CLESE)

Angola, 2014

Education & Professional Training

Project story

Begun in 2011 under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Security, CLESE aims to create a nationwide network of 18 entrepreneurship and employment centers, one in each province.

Like the other centers, CLESE Lubango offers young people courses in entrepreneurship, management and IT, while also providing dedicated “incubator”

facilities and support for new business startups. In collaboration with local universities, the CLESE centers offer specialized training, along with centralized internet, administrative and fiscal consultancy services. The centers also match job-seekers with employment opportunities in private companies.

The process

Challenge

To promote entrepreneurship and employment through the creation of dedicated local centers where young entrepreneurs can develop their ideas.

Approach

For this project to succeed, it was necessary to create effective links between the financial/ commercial sector and the new entrepreneurs.

Solution

The success of the CLESE concept in Lubango has led to demand for training that now outstrips the center’s capacity, thus encouraging further expansion.

Some numbers

SDGs we followed

4· 5· 8· 10

Quality education• Gender equality• Decent work and economic growth• Reduced inequalities

Approximate number of students trained since 2014

2.5K

Centers established across Angola

Some numbers

SDGs we followed

4· 5· 8· 10

Quality education• Gender equality• Decent work and economic growth• Reduced inequalities

Approximate number of students trained since 2014

2.5K

Centers established across Angola

In conversation
with António Cruz

António Cruz is the Project Manager.

I joined Focus Education in 2013, bringing with me senior management experience in the industrial sector in Portugal. At CLESE I encountered a young, relatively inexperienced management team that was highly motivated to learn and improve. Six years later, CLESE Lubango is an important, successful institution, committed to helping Angola develop in key areas of training and employment.

By helping new entrepreneurs to broaden their knowledge, share their experiences, incubate their new companies — and realize their potential — the CLESE project is making a genuine difference on Angola’s business landscape.