Green Innovations’ investments in Focus Education enabled the planning, construction and operationalization of the Entrepreneurial Development Centres - CLESE.

This project is a result of a partnership with the Angolan Ministry of Public Administration, Work and Social Security. The agreement involves developing and implementing 18 Centres, one in each Angolan province.

Up to this date, 10 Centres are already established and operating independently, 8 additional Centres will be constructed from 2018-2020 under the CLESE’s second phase.

CLESE’s goal is to provide a comprehensive training and set of tools that potential and existing entrepreneurs need to succeed, creating thriving commercial ventures.

This is a vision that has at its heart a socioeconomic contribution to the broader Angolan prosperity—strengthening markets and communities. Since 2011, over 1000 training courses were provided, engaging more than 10,600 participants (primarily young university graduates, seeking to open their first business). From these participants, at least 540 new businesses and 1,200 formal jobs were created by CLESE graduates, generating new sources of employment and income for themselves and their communities.

For example, Salomão, now an owner of a brick factory (pic) and a CLESE participant, admits that the Project enabled him to progress by moving from empiricism and theory to professionalization and practice: developing and implementing his entrepreneurial vision.

Similarly, João Pedro, (pic) another participant and now owner of an agro-livestock company, attributes the assets he gained out of the work with CLESE. The skills he honed allowed his farm to reach a substantial expansion, also improving its performance efficiency. Today, the farm, which is rapidly expanding its production capacity, has 204 hectares with more than 104 heads of goats, 140 heads of cattle and an orchard with about 3 hectares.

More stories of small businesses can be watched here. Together, these stories are making CLESE astrong business case to be replicated for entrepreneurship, small business building and economic empowerment.