While the COVID19 crisis disrupted the development of lots of projects across the globe, it further encouraged innovators to push their ideas forward and in Cape Verde, an educational revolution is quietly taking place.
Back in January, we’ve reported on a Brazilian businessman visiting Mindelo, looking to invest in electronic recycling and training new entrepreneurs to create startups. Despite the lockdown, the “Escola Professional de Cabo Verde” (Cape Verde Professional School) has been shaping into quite an interest solution, bringing together education, technology and entrepreneurship in an innovative project.
Under the guidance of businessman Gildo Neves Baptista from Brazil’s Teleporte Group the project addresses some key issues to support Cabo Verde development such as employment, entrepreneurship, education, recycling and inclusion.
Using Teleport’s online educational platform and broadcasting through a state tv channel, prospectives students will be able to “attend” a range of technical classes with a focus in teaching a set of professional skills and entrepreneurship.
For example, one of the classes will teach students to repair computers and peripherals that came to the end of their corporate life, repurposing them to be traded at affordable prices so people with no access as well as small and medium businesses can buy them. Another class will teach students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship so that they can start repairing and selling the computers themselves.
The initiative caught the attention of Cape Verde’s PROEMPRESA, (the government agency to promote and support entrepreneurship), and Gildo intends to work with the them to implement a start-up accelerator for students graduating the program. Also, the equipment used during the classes, once fixed will be donated to the institutions in the student’s community.
According to Gildo, “The goal of our program is to foment social and economic inclusiveness as we intend to create all means necessary to assist people on their way to become entrepreneurs.”
Gildo also highlighted that as equipments are refurbished and repurposed at low cost, it will allow more people to access a digital economy while addressing recycling and a lighter reliance on electronic imports from China.
The program will kickstart online this month on the Cape Verde Professional School website and later on national TV.
