By KOPANO MONAHENG
EDUCATION is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty.
Not only does it open doors to better job prospects and better incomes, but it also helps one to think critically.
Benedito Manuel, a 57-year-old Angolan, knows that to drive economic growth in Angola and the rest of the African continent, one must go through proper education and training.
He attended his primary and secondary studies in Angola and then graduated in Industrial Civil Engineering in Ukraine in 1992. Two years later, he went on to complete his master’s degree in Metallic Structures.
“I joined the university teaching career at UAN in Angola in 1994 and became head of the Civil Engineering Department at the Faculty of Engineering in 1996,” he said.
Education has always been his weapon to ensure that he lives a better life someday. Being born and raised by well-educated parents helped him become the person he is today.
Manuel obtained an international master’s degree in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnics from CEDEX in MADRID in 1999.
He defended his doctoral thesis at the Universal Mining Institute of St. Petersburg and received the degree of PhD in sciences in 2004.
He became an associate professor at the A. Neto and Lueje University Ankonde. He kept on learning and developing himself all these years…
In 2006, he completed a degree in Business Administration from the AiEC Faculty of Administration in Brasília and, in 2017, he completed a degree in theology, having been ordained an Evangelical Pastor.
He has been a great leader so far in all the positions he has held at Sociedade Mineira de Catoca. He has been the general director and president of the board of directors at the mine for the last five years.
The mine, which was established in the mid-90s, is located in eastern Angola, in the province of Lunda Sul.
and it employs more than 3 000 direct workers and offers around 7 000 indirect jobs.
In the world ranking, the Catoca mine is the third largest open-pit diamond mine, and in Angola it is responsible for the production of 80% of the rough diamonds produced in the entire country. With 30 years of existence, Catoca is strongly committed to environmental preservation and sustainability to ensure the development of the communities where it operates and the well-being of all Angolans.
As part of its social responsibilities, the mine invests in the construction of schools, hospitals, sports, and culture. It provides housing credit to its workers, car credit, consumption, health insurance, and life insurance.
Site Title 