A high-level delegation from Angola visited Israel last week, led by the country’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, H.E. Dr. Maria do Rosario Braganca, and senior staff from her ministry. Israel has traditionally had strong relations with the influential African nation, and the Minister”s ambition is to boost and promote the higher education system in Angola, and to position the ministry as one of the main pillars of the digital transformation in the Angolan education system.
The delegation was accompanied by Focus Education, the education arm of the Mitrelli Group, specializing in long-term educational projects in collaboration with governments, academic institutions, and private partners. As part of her visit, which marked ten years of large-scale infrastructure and development projects across Africa by the Mitrelli Group, the minister and her delegation held meetings with the Council of Higher Education in Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hebrew University, Afeka College, the Technion, Gordon College of Education. In addition, the delegation toured the Carasso Science Park in a visit organized by Athena, a Mitrelli Group company promoting cultural development and sustainable tourism. In these meetings, the delegation worked to create new ties with Israeli education leaders and to engage with them on educating for innovation and creating ecosystems to produce high-tech growth.
During the visit, the Angolan minister expressed her interest in the Israeli higher education system, in particular in tech, innovation, and scientific research. She also expressed her ambition to strengthen the developing Angolan higher education system through the five-year plan she is leading. This program aims to provide Public Institutions of Higher Education and Institutions of Scientific Research and Development (II&D) with improved infrastructure, construction, rehabilitation and equipment, including for the use of information and communication technologies.
Dr. Maria do Rosario Braganca, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Angola, said: “This is my first visit to Israel as Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation. I would like to learn from Israel how to advance our systems in Angola. We are lucky to have a company like Mitrelli to introduce us to new ways to promote innovation and technology in our work in Angola. In particular, Israel has been developing education systems, from pre-school to higher education, in order to fulfil the goal of having more than 50% of its population achieving a university degree. We can use this knowledge in our country, and it is also highly important for us to see how the theme of innovation is being developed so well in Israel. We hope to enjoy the fruits of the future cooperation between Angola and Israel, particularly in the field of higher education”.
Haim Taib, Founder and President of the Mitrelli Group said: “The visit aimed to provide the delegation an opportunity to get acquainted with the Israeli academic system and its comprehensive approach towards higher education, in order to strengthen connections and advance mutual interests between the two countries”.

Dr. Rosario Braganca is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Agostinho Neto University (FMUAN) specializing in genetics, with a doctorate on “Genetic Susceptibility to Cerebral Malaria in Angolan Children”. She has published dozens of scientific papers in her field and has won two scientific awards for her research. The minister is also a member of the National Committee of Experts for the Eradication of Poliomyelitis in the Republic of Angola since 2001 a member of the African Society of Human Genetics since 2011 and an observer member on the African Advisory Committee for Research and Development (AACHRD), since 2012.
Mitrelli Group views education and vocational training as vital for the promotion of growth and prosperity. Focus Education, its subsidiary for education, carries out projects in development, training, and employability. From building and equipping facilities to developing curriculum, recruiting, and training staff, it implements turnkey solutions for academic and vocational education, ranging from innovative entrepreneurship centers and vocational training programs to unique youth cities.