From September 20, 2025, to October 4, 2025, eight university students from Equatorial Guinea took part in the internship program titled “Internship, Innovation and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Program” at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the University of Madeira (UMa), as part of Activity T3.4 of the HOST-EG Project. The participants, from the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE) and the Afro-American University of Central Africa (AAUCA), were selected for their outstanding involvement in tourism entrepreneurship initiatives.

The two European universities designed specific training programs that combined classes, personalized mentoring, technical visits, and meetings with industry professionals. The aim was to strengthen the students’ entrepreneurial skills, improve their business plans, and offer them an immersion into models of sustainable tourism, innovation, and business management.

Planning the activity required numerous coordination meetings among the participating institutions, given the logistical complexity and the responsibility of hosting eight young students.

At ULPGC, the program focused on employability, entrepreneurship, and sustainable tourism, including attendance to undergraduate and master’s classes, business plan analysis sessions, and visits to innovation organizations. At UMa, the students combined theoretical training hours with practical hours in hotels, museums, and companies, with a special emphasis on sustainability and digital marketing.

The program significantly improved the participants’ business projects and strengthened their technical and personal skills. The students highlighted the high value of the experience and its positive impact on their vision of tourism entrepreneurship. The initiative demonstrates the role of international university cooperation as a driver of development, innovation, and the promotion of sustainable tourism in Africa.

The HOST-EG Project, “Fostering Sustainable Growth and Employment by Building Higher Education Capacities in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Equatorial Guinea,” is co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program and brings together four universities: UNGE, AAUCA, ULPGC, and UMa. Its objective is to strengthen higher education capacities and promote innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship in the field of tourism in Equatorial Guinea.