The United Nations in Cape Verde will strengthen its work with Cape Verdean authorities through a 2026 plan worth around €17 million, focused on digital transformation, the blue economy and the reinforcement of local development.
“2026 is the penultimate year of this cooperation cycle between the United Nations and Cape Verde. It is a year to integrate, accelerate and transform. We have three areas that are key accelerators: digital transformation, the blue economy and local development,” said the UN resident coordinator, Patrícia Portela de Souza, in the city of Praia, during the annual meeting that included the signing of the joint work plan.
According to the official, digital transformation aims to modernise public systems, digitalise essential services and strengthen the technological capacities of people and institutions, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On the blue economy — considered a “growth engine” for the country — the plan foresees investments in areas such as sustainable fishing, strengthening of productive supply chains and support for maritime sector entrepreneurs, despite challenges arising from “pressure on resources and the country’s vulnerability to climate change.”
In the area of local development, initiatives promoting social inclusion and access to services across all islands will be strengthened, with special attention to women, youth, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
The plan also includes support for agricultural value chains, climate risk mapping in 17 of the country’s 22 municipalities, and platforms connecting the diaspora to local projects in health, education and entrepreneurship.
According to Patrícia Portela de Souza, the goal is to achieve 100% financial execution of the plan, after an 83% rate recorded in 2025, by exploring innovative management models and institutional technical support to accelerate actions and reach the most remote communities of the archipelago.
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Cape Verde’s minister of foreign affairs, José Luís Livramento, highlighted that the partnership with the UN system has contributed to significant gains in areas such as poverty reduction, access to education, healthcare, water, energy, housing and food security.
The signed work plan has a total value of $20.3 million (€17.55 million), of which $14.6 million (€12.61 million) is already mobilised, and “results from a participatory planning process involving public institutions, municipalities, civil society and the private sector, oriented towards concrete results.”
