The 2016 edition in Angola saw a total of 160 teams competing, that is 86 more teams than in the previous year. Victory went to five students from the Technical University of Angola
As we approach year end, countries tend to conclude their national contests and select the team that will represent them in the 2016 Global Management Challenge in April next year in the capital city of Doha. Qatar. Angola is a case in point. In November, it finished its national edition disputed by 800 students and mangers divided among 160 teams.
The 2016 edition in Angola had 86 more teams than last year when only 74 teams registered. An increase that in the opinion of Victor Fernandes, local organizer of this initiative created 37 years ago by Expresso and SDG, was due in part to the participation of the 2015 champions in promoting the event. “The winners of the last edition have asked us to be involved in the competition this year. Supervised and with the support of our team, they dealt with the registrations and convinced a good many students to take part in the challenge, “he explains. As a result, of the all the teams taking part 90% of them were students, mostly from the Agostinho Neto University and the remaining 10% were managers.
Technical education wins
After a close and very competitive day competing for the national final, it was a team of five students from the Technical University of Angola that won the challenge and will therefore represent the country at the international finals.
In Angola, the prize giving ceremony included the presence of the team that won the first edition of the national competition in Angola, held ten years ago. At that time they were all students and today they are top professionals, one of which heads his own business. They told their life story to all those who took part in the 2016 competition and the importance the competition had on the course of their lives. This in the eyes of Victor Fernandes is something that “contributes to attracting more participants”. In fact in the next edition, the 2017 edition, the objective is to maintain this growth trend in the number of registered teams.
For the Angolan organizer the Global Management Challenge is a formative tool. Students and staff have the opportunity to experience business decision-making at the highest level and draw many other skills from the experience. For example, they learn to manage their time better and to honour their commitments.
In Angola, the competition will take on a new role in the life of Angolans. The local organization has just signed an agreement with the Executives Office of the Presidency of the Republic, a body responsible for the national plan for training executives. The details of this agreement are still being finalized, but it may involve awarding academic credits to the best performers in the competition or even the attribution of study grants. In the opinion of Victor Fernandes, the test is a preparation for professional life and the employers see it as a instrument for recruitment.
