Noelma Viegas D’Abreu

Clinical psychology is part of her professional life, along with management and finance, two universes that you wouldn’t expect to mix, but which fit perfectly into Noelma’s life. Entrepreneurship is part of her, as is the ability to see the world as it is. With its flaws. With its strengths. A gift for someone who knows how to interpret numbers and, above all, see beyond them. Being a woman is one of her greatest privileges, a condition that has made her a mother and a wife. Humanism is another characteristic she is proud of, as it allows her to fight for a more empathetic and equitable world. This is therefore her modus operandi: putting her talents to good use to help those in need. 

What is your mission in Angola as a citizen and professional?
To educate! More and more, I want to make a serious contribution to economic and social development in Angola and around the world. As a clinical psychologist, I practised for a few years, providing counselling and help. As a manager, my focus has been on improving people’s living conditions. As a citizen, I try to learn every day and have the intellectual honesty not to «replicate voices of ignorance», many of which overwhelm us on social networks or appear on stages and, in fact, there is a fervent tendency to follow them as if they were sowing the seeds of truth. I’m worried that we’re focused on immediacy, on appearances, on having rather than being. So, as a citizen and a professional, I’ve been striving to study and learn in order to be more rigorous and ethical, preserving the quality of what I transmit. I’m also concerned about the lack of depth on issues, which means that we run the risk of encouraging the creation of a generation based on fragile and violent values, a group that is already mostly critical, negative and against everything and everyone. I try to make my actions and words consistent, with a good dose of composure, balance and principles of peace and hope.  

Is being a woman and an entrepreneur an easy task?
It’s a privilege to be a woman. Being a mum is a gift inherent to that condition too. Being a wife, with a husband and partner by your side, is another privilege. So, creativity, the willingness to undertake and develop projects, without frustration and anguish, becomes relatively simple. Even though I have this family support, I have of course experienced moments of unfortunate surprises, ranging from hearing comments about my dress or high heels to being accompanied by a male colleague who is automatically considered the boss because of the gender he represents. I believe that the best way to empower women is to educate them to value themselves and achieve independent personal fulfilment, teaching them from a young age what they are worth and how to appreciate themselves. At the same time, we need to educate, foster and develop a positive masculinity in boys, who are predisposed to looking at women as a peer and in a respectful way, free from competition and/or superiority.

«Education plays a fundamental role in reducing poverty»

You have been chairman of the board of the BAI Academy since 2022. How have you contributed to a more prosperous future for the institution and the country?
I have travelled a gradual path of growth and promotion. I was deputy administrator until 2015, moved up to chairman of the executive committee in 2016 and became chairman of the board of directors in 2022. I like to think and believe that my contribution comes from the opportunity that I have been given by the leadership of BAI to manage an organisation that is concerned with training, qualifications and education. Firstly, I believe that my greatest contribution has been in the development of the professionals who have worked with me, as well as forming a team with common values to the organisational culture or to the culture of a brand that we represent. 
On the other hand, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help make a dream come true. With the right team, made up of people who share the same beliefs, values and desires, we have been able to develop a tailor-made vocational training service, training for executives, management of a higher education institute that trains young graduates and a complementary cultural agenda. I would argue that the half a million trainees who have trained with us over the last 11 years have developed technical and behavioural skills that have made them more competent and efficient professionals, thereby having a positive impact on Angola’s economic growth and development. We mustn’t forget that it has been scientifically proven that education plays a fundamental role in reducing poverty, reducing social asymmetries and improving quality of life, and this is an essential goal for our lives. This is the contribution I want to make. 

Does Angola already share a culture of valuing education and cultural awareness or is there still a long way to go?
I think there is still a long way to go, not only in terms of material conditions and the necessary infrastructure, but also in terms of teacher training, program design and fast-tracking learning methods. The average age of our population is 17, so there are a lot of young people to train. There’s also then need to pay more attention to girls, to fight the phenomenon of unwanted pregnancies and improving the conditions for helping them attend during the school year.   

Do you think managers are also allowed to fail?
If the manager were Chat GPT, of course not! But fortunately, we’re not machines. I think COVID-19 has shown that the managers with the greatest sense of humanism were those who managed to achieve the best results with their teams, despite the circumstances. Many haven’t failed, because they have taken on fears and anxieties and, in sharing they have been able to count on the contribution of their teams. A manager need to be stable and manage their emotions wisely because people need to know who they can count on. They also need to know how to listen at the right time. 

Is it becoming essential to inform business leaders about the impact of employees’ mental health on productivity and financial results? 
Absolutely! Burnout is increasingly common, as are suicide, depression, various forms of harassment, addictions and other mental illnesses. These situations need to be recognised, especially in a country that has lived for so many years in a climate of war, violence and instability. The war directly or indirectly affected Angolan families and generations. All of this deserves a lot of attention and the leaders must appreciate this.