Prime Minister: “It is necessary to mobilize the Cape Verdean Nation for a difficult path”

The Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, said today, in parliament, that it is necessary to mobilize the Cape Verdean nation for a difficult path, with the conviction that 2021 will be a better year than 2020.

The head of government, who was speaking at the start of the debate on the State Budget (OE) for 2021, also said that the Government is "strongly committed and confident" that it will, with this OE, reinforce the protection measures that the moment of emergency imposes and the situation of many families and companies requires.

“But at the same time, we have to build the post-covid-19”, continued Ulisses Correia e Silva, who mentioned the Strategic Agenda for Sustainable Development, Ambição Cabo Verde 2030, which bets “on the recovery and relaunch of the economy” in based on a medium and long-term strategy, capable of making the country “more resilient, more competitive, growing, creating jobs, exporting, reducing poverty and social inequalities”, in a different world context.

“These are the assumptions to position Cape Verde as a convincing interlocutor with the international community and its main partners”, he continued, for the discussion of “external debt relief” solutions, which were imposed by the covid-19 crisis, and to release resources to finance the structural transformations that the country needs.

Ulisses Correia e Silva also stated that these are conditions for restoring the confidence of investors, companies and families, guided by “clear strategies” aimed at the medium and long term.

“It is in this sense that the first short-term priority is to continue to protect health, employment, income and companies”, stressed Ulisses Correia e Silva, adding that the second short-term priority is to position Cape Verde as a safe tourist destination from a health point of view.

“We have been investing heavily in this objective, with the islands of Sal and Boa Vista prepared to receive tourists. We hope it will happen in December”, he assured.

In the medium and long term, over the next five to ten years, and with annual progress, the priorities are, according to the prime minister, to make Cape Verde a “more resilient country, with a strong commitment to energy transition” and the water strategy for the agriculture.

"That they reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels and increase the efficiency, productivity and income of farmers and the capacity to respond and finance emergency situations in terms of climate and health", he added.

Ulisses Correia e Silva added, still on this point, the objective of building “the Digital Cape Verde”, with a decisive commitment to accelerating the efficiency of the State, improving the business environment, the quality of services, innovation, entrepreneurship, competitiveness and inter-island connectivity and with the rest of the world.

Still in the medium and long term, the prime minister spoke of diversifying the economy, betting on tourism with a more diversified offer and with implantation in all the islands, as well as the development of the maritime economy and industry. The Week with Inforpress