Angola’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rui Miguéns, said on Wednesday that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are a vital mechanism for the country’s long-term economic sustainability, even as access to credit remains a significant obstacle to business growth.
Miguéns made the remarks in Luanda at the opening of the second edition of the National MSME Award, describing the country’s smaller enterprises as ‘a chain of hope’ for those who sustain the nation through their commercial activities.
The minister nonetheless acknowledged that investing in Angola remains a complex challenge, citing restricted access to credit as one of the principal difficulties facing entrepreneurs seeking to establish or scale their businesses.
For Miguéns, translating a vision into reality — converting ideas into solid businesses — demands resilience and determination from founders and small business owners operating in a difficult environment.
In the face of these structural hurdles, the minister emphasised that the government’s central priority remains the reinforcement of an entrepreneurial culture across the country.
He noted that the executive is fully aware of the high mortality rate among small enterprises and of the challenges that prevent many projects from achieving financial sustainability, creating value and reaching adequate scale.
At the second edition of the National MSME Award, three companies took top honours across their respective categories: Fazenda Horta do Garcia won the Micro Enterprise prize, Aguanara Comércio Geral e Indústria claimed the Small Enterprise award, and Soapro was recognised as the standout Medium-Sized Enterprise.
The National MSME Award is an initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, organised in partnership with the National Institute for the Support of Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (INAPEM), and is designed to recognise and stimulate business excellence among Angola’s smaller companies.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/economia/governo-realca-papel-das-micro-empresas-na-sustentabilidade-economica/
