Environmental News || Huambo Province Hosts First Environmental Education Forum

Huambo Province Hosts First Environmental Education Forum

The city of Huambo hosted the First Environmental Education Forum this Wednesday, a two-day event bringing together prominent figures from Angola’s environmental sector. This event serves as a platform for reflection, debate, and cooperation, with the presence of various authorities, most notably the Provincial Governor, Lotti Nolika, who welcomed the Secretary of State for the Environment, Iury Santos, representing the Minister, Ana Paula de Carvalho Pereira.

In her welcoming address, Governor Lotti Nolika emphasized the importance of environmental education for the sustainable development of the region. Secretary of State for the Environment, Iury Santos, delivered the opening speech, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of environmental education in Angola. He stressed the importance and urgency of bringing environmental education closer to the people:

"We aim for increasingly present environmental education in schools, with teacher training, the inclusion of environmental themes in curricula, the training of environmental educators, and the dissemination of these issues in the media. To achieve this, we will promote provincial environmental education programs and the establishment of environmental education centers," said Santos.

The opening panel was presented by the Provincial Director of the Environment for Huambo, José Figueiredo, who discussed the "General State of the Environment in Huambo: Challenges of Environmental Education."

Other topics discussed included "Environmental Education in Angola: Challenges and Opportunities" and "Environmental Education in Schools: Cooperation and New Perspectives in the Lusophone Context," the latter presented online. There was also an online presentation by Joaquim Pinto, President of ASPEA and General Coordinator of REDELUSO, on the "Guidelines of National Environmental Education Strategies of CPLP Member States Post-Lubango Declaration."

The forum was marked by a rich exchange of ideas and experiences among national and international participants (some attending in a hybrid format). In addition to provincial and national environmental sector officials, members of civil society and the Kings of Huambo and Ovassambo also attended the event.