ELECTIONS

The four candidates running in the August 7 presidential elections participated in their second debate beginning onJuly 27, broadcast live on Cape Verdean National Radio (RCV) and Cape Verdean National Television (TCV). Aristides Lima, Joaquim Monteiro, Jorge Carlos Fonseca and Manuel Inocêncio Sousa presented their arguments in an attempt to convince voters, particularly undecided ones, of the consistency of their respective proposals (Picture A Semana).

Over the last few days, as the battle raged, on Aristides Lima called on supporters and adversaries to exercise verbal restraint, while Sousa promised a “cultural presidency” and Fonseca says he will be a “clean president with a sound body”.

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POLITICS

In reaction to Prime Minister and PAICV leader José Maria Neves’ recent declarations regarding Amílcar Cabral, political party UCID has exhorted the party and its chairman to clarify who they believe to be responsible for the death of the leader of the struggle for the independence of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau (A Semana).

Earlier, the leader of opposition party MpD demanded that José Maria Neves “explain, prior to the presidential elections, the declarations he proffered about the death of Amílcar Cabral, so that the people may vote in good conscience.” Carlos Veiga also expressed “great surprise” with the “very serious” affirmations made by Prime Minister and PAICV leader Neves (A Semana.

INTERNATIONAL

António Monteiro, who ruled the archipelago off the West African coast between 1991 and 2001, was unveiled as a nutrition advocate by the Nutrition Working Group for West Africa, an organisation of U.N. agencies and non-governmental organisations that will support Monteiro during his two-year post (AlertNet).

DEFENSE & SECURITY

Twenty-nine National Police officers from all of the squadrons in the country are taking a month-long course in the area of criminal investigation. The course is in its second week at the National Training Center in Praia and encompasses the modules “Inquiry” and “material and personal evidence-gathering” (A Semana).

The Chief of Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, Sachipengo Geraldo Nunda, started a visit to Cape Verde, among other things discussing with his Cape Verdean counterpart, Fernando Pereira, the state of military-technical cooperation between the two institutions (Inforpress).

President Pedro Pires of the Republic considered the attack on Thursday July 21st in Praia against Praia District Judge Faustino Varela Monteiro, as “serious” (Inforpress).

SAL

A little bit of controversy has been created with an article in A Semana which states that turtles could disappear from Sal in five years time. There are a number of inaccuracies in the article, such as the fact that hunting has increased and that there have already been turtles killed this summer – neither of these comments are true.  In addition, the figures quoted at the end reflect what is probably a natural fluctuation in nesting on Sal (SOS Tartarugas).

SAO VICENTE

The vehicle owned by former São Vicente mayor Onésimo Silveira was completely destroyed by a fire in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 26, in front of his home in the Selada de Baleia district of the island. Silveira told A Semana Online that he has no doubt the fire was an act of arson.

DIASPORA

The cycle of debates known as the Tertúlia Crioula, which takes place every month in Portuguese capital Lisbon, will promote a debate this Saturday, July 30, featuring the youth campaign directors in Portugal of three of the candidates in Cape Verde’s August 7 presidential elections (A Semana).

The number of foreigners living in Portugal dropped nearly two percent in 2010, with the number of Cape Verdean immigrants living in the Western European country down 9.96% since last year. Even so, the Brazilian and Cape Verdean communities in Portugal continue to be the most numerous, while Romanian immigrants form the largest community of immigrants hailing from a fellow European Union country (A Semana).

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

Render of the marina at the Calheta Bay mega project for Sal Island (source).

ECONOMY

A number of Cape Verdean companies are trying their luck on the US market. According to congressman Barney Franks, known as a defender of Cape Verdean immigrants in the United States, “conditions are being created for this new stage in relations” between the two countries (A Semana).

AVIATION

The São Vicente Aeroclub has already begun flying. With the authorization of the Civil Aviation Agency in hand, the project’s mentor, Marcelo Meggiorina, carried out the first flight to the island of São Nicolau (A Semana).

FISHERIES

Karolina Ostrzyniewska, Poland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, acting on behalf of the Polish EU Presidency, and Maria de Jesus Veiga Miranda Mascarenhas, Ambassador of the Republic of Cape Verde, signed on 27 July in Brussels the new protocol setting fishing opportunities for EU vessels in Cape Verde’s waters and the corresponding financial compensation under the fisheries partnership agreement between the two parties. In the framework of these partnerships, the European Union provides third countries with technical and financial support for the development of their fishing sector, in exchange for which it obtains access to surplus resources in their exclusive economic zone. The new protocol was signed for a period of three years. It establishes compensation of €435,000 annually for Cape Verde’s fishing sector (Europolitics).

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REAL ESTATE

Thousands of Brits have lost money on an overseas property purchase in a wide range of countries in recent years, mainly due to the global credit crunch, which restricted funding for many proposed schemes partly sold off-plan, while some developers simply went bust. Prospective purchasers are now allowed to reserve a new home in Cape Verde at the Santa Monica Beach Resort and Spa by transferring their lost reservation deposit, usually in the region of £5,000-£15,000 (A Place in the Sun).

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ELECTIONS

The presidential elections of August 7th will have more than 300,000 registered voters and the National Elections Commission (CNE) will increase to almost 1,200 polling tables (Inforpress).

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OPINION

The Cape Verdean government should also be aware that other countries aren’t simply sitting around twiddling their thumbs. In a competitive world, those who are easiest to do business with will win the minds and hearts of investors along with substantial FDI (foreign direct investments). According to the Doing Business 2011 Report, Cape Verde ranked 132nd out of 183 countries which represents an improvement of 10 places on the list since 2010. This means Cape Verde falls just above the bottom quarter of all of the countries in the world. Read how Cpa Verde could improve the ease of doing business in Cape Verde at the InvestinCV blog.

INTERNATIONAL

Luxembourg’s minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Marie-Josée Jacobs,  signed the Indicative cooperation Programme (PIC) for the 2011-2014 period, involving a financial packages of around 60 million euros (Macauhub).

CULTURE

Tarrafal, on the island of Santiago, awoke this morning to the sad news of the death of Eneida Nelly, the young author of the book of poetry Sukutam (Listen to Me) (A Semana).

DEFENSE & SECURITY

The new regional National Police commanders for Praia (João Gonçalves) and Santa Catarina (Alcides da Luz) were sworn in. The ceremony was presided over by Minister of Internal Administration Marisa Morais at the National Police Training Center in Praia (A Semana).

SAL

A group of Sal residents is organizing a protest against water and electricity utility Electra to demonstrate their discontent with the water shortage on the island, which is going into its second month. A petition signed by more than 150 people was handed over the local Electra officials (A Semana).

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

Render of the planned 98-room Hotel Marisol for the capital Praia, currently awaiting financing  (source).

ECONOMY

Cape Verde is moving closer to the group of Portuguese-speaking countries creating the greatest value in industrial terms. Angola and Mozambique were the lusophone countries with the quickest pace of industrialization over the past two decades, but its industries continue to create relatively little value, according to a report presented by several United Nations agencies (A Semana).

Cape Verde’s economic growth rate slowed in the second quarter, reversing the growth trend of previous quarters, according to the archipelago’s National Statistics Institute (INE) (Macauhub).

The Cape Verde inspector-general for gaming, José Augusto Cardoso, said that there are businesspeople interested in investing in casinos in the country. “As yet there are no licensed locations because the government has not launched the tender for granting gaming area concessions, but interest has been stated by national and foreign investors that want to operate in this sector, “ Cardoso said (Macauhub).

AVIATION

More than 15,000 passengers are expected to pass through São Pedro International Airport, on the island of São Vicente, between the months of July and September, according to airport director Nuno Santos, who explains that most of these passengers will come from Europe (A Semana).

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FISHERIES

Two fishing vessels have been intercepted and seized by the Coast Guard off the island of Sal. The vessels, one of which is Senegalese and one of which is Cape Verdean, were allegedly fishing illegally in Cape Verdean waters. Last week, another vessel was seized off the coast of Sal for illegal fishing. The ship, which flies a Dutch flag, remains at Palmeira sea port (A Semana).

The Cape Verdean government has concluded negotiations with US companies that will soon make it possible to export fresh and frozen fish from the south of the West African archipelago to the United States of America, the Cape Verdean secretary of State for Marine Resources said in Praia (Macauhub).

TOURISM

The School of Hospitality and Tourism in Cape Verde (EHTCV) was inaugurated  Tuesday, July 19th, by Prime Minister  José Maria Neves (Inforpress).

Nikki Beach, which made its name as a chic South Beach club, is planning to open several branded hotels over the next few years. Nine hotels are set to start opening next year in locations including Qatar, Croatia, Greece, Egypt and the Cape Verde Islands (Miami Herald).

NATIONAL

The population of Cape Verde has risen from 201,000 people in 1960, when the first population census was carried out on the archipelago, to 492,000 in 2010, the chairman of the National Statistics Institute (INE), António Duarte said this week in Praia (Macauhub).

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INTERNATIONAL

The visit Prime Minister José Maria Neves had planned to make to Guinea Bissau between July 10 and 12 has been postponed indefinitely. The premier says that the trip was cancelled due to a request from Guinea Bissauan President Malam Bacai Sanhá, who is away from the country on an official mission (A Semana).

DEFENSE & SECURITY

The commander of French Forces in Cape Verde and Senegal, General Paulus Olivier, announced for the first quarter of 2012 the execution of the third Franco-Capeverdean military exercise in the Cape Verde archipelago, with the aim to increase control over traffickers at sea (Inforpress).

BOA VISTA

Expansion work on Boa Vista High School is slated to begin by the end of the year, according to guarantees provided by Education Ministry officials who visited the island for an exhaustive assessment of the local educational situation (A Semana).

FOGO

The island of Fogo registered the first rainfall of the season in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 13. Farmers on the island consider the precipitation to be the prelude to a good agricultural season (A Semana).

SANTIAGO

On Friday, July 15, Prime Minister José Maria Neves will preside over the unveiling of the new Santa Cruz municipal market. The project, which cost the Santa Cruz municipal chamber some 200 million escudos, will definitively resolve the problem of sales on the streets of the city of Pedra Badejo and the consequent lack of hygiene. The act is scheduled for 9:00 am in the Achada Fátima district of the municipality (A Semana).

DIASPORA

Cape Verdeans celebrate Independence Day at India Point Park in Massachusetts (Projo).

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

The developing skyline of downtown Praia, capital of Cape Verde.

AGRI

Weather forecasts for West Africa this year indicate the likelihood of pentiful rains in Cape Verde. Concrete information on Cape Verde will only be made available later this week, but data on the region in general posted on the African Center of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD) indicates that rainfall will be “higher than normal” in the period between July and September (A Semana).

The delegation of the Ministry of Rural Development (MDR) in Santo Antão is creating the conditions for the beginning of the certification of agriculture and livestock products originating from this island, which should happen later in this year (Inforpress).

AVIATION

Airport and Air Security company ASA has decided to harden its position against airlines to force them to honor their debts. The first “victim” of this stance is Cabo Verde Express, which refused to enter into any debt payment commitment with ASA. As a result, the company’s credit will be cut off and will only be able to carry out operations through pre-payment. Cape Verde’s other two airlines, TACV and Halcyonair, are also in ASA’s sights (A Semana).

Cape Verde airline (TACV) has already started direct flights from Barcelona to the island of Sal, which then have two connections per week from Spain (Inforpress).

FISHERIES

Cape Verdean entrepreneurs and U.S. are in negotiations to export fish to the United States of America (USA), the Secretary of State for Marine Resources, Adalberto Vieira, revealed in Praia (Inforpress).

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TOURISM

The Oásis PraiaMar Hotel in Praia is once again a contestant in the World Travel Awards. In the 2011 edition of the contest, it has been nominated in the same category in which it came out the winner in 2008 – Best Hotel in Cape Verde (A Semana).

To create more options of rooms, more pleasant and cozy for guests, the Oasis Atlântico is investing in 30 new bungalows in the Belorizonte Hotel in Sal Island. These new rooms will be part of a superior category and will join the 30 recently remodeled bungalows and the 2 family suites (Oasis Atlantico).

The program “Education for Tourism” is intended to be the answer to the much needed qualification of human resources for the sector. The new program was announced by the General Director for Tourism, Carlos Pires Ferreira, confirming that next September the first campaigns will start to change attitudes (Inforpress).

POLITICS

A reference to awaken the collective memory of the Cape Verdean people, reaffirm national identity and outline the destiny of Cape Verde in a globalized world – all of this was proposed in the solemn session in the Abílio Duarte Noble Hall of the National Assembly in Praia. July 5th marks the 36th anniversary of the independence of a country that was at the time considered unfeasible, but which is today pointed to as a success story (A Semana).

“In the name of President Obama and of the American people, I am pleased to express my best wishes to the people of Cape Verde on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of your independence on this 5th of July,” begins a message sent by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Cape Verdean authorities (A Semana).

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INTERNATIONAL

East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta, arriving at Praia International Airport, admitted that one of his country’s “major obstacles” is “the lack of human resources.” In this sense, the East Timorese head of state plans to ask for Cape Verde’s cooperation in the domain (A Semana).

Manuel Inocêncio Sousa has promised that, if he is elected President of the Republic, he will undertake efforts to help Cape Verdeans who have been living in São Tomé and Príncipe for more than 50 years return to their native country (A Semana).

FOGO

A group of technicians from the Public Health Office in São Filipe, on the island of Fogo, destroyed more than 800 kilograms of products whose expiration date had passed, according to José Vieira de Pina, a member of the office (A Semana).

SANTIAGO

A roller coaster, bumper cars, a toboggan ride, a merry-go-round and a food court and cultural area will all be part of the 5 de Julho Park children’s park, work on which has begun to be undertaken by construction company Editur. Construction work, budgeted at some 150 million escudos, is expected to be concluded by December (A Semana).

SANTO ANTAO

Congratulations to Silvana Roque and her team at Projecto Vito who have started a turtle conservation project in Porto Novo, the main town on the island of Santo Antão (SOS Tartarugas).

SAO NICOLAU

The Tarrafal de São Nicolau municipal chamber promoted a workshop on the protection of sea turtles, which come ashore to nest on the municipality’s beaches every year (A Semana).

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

The Copacabana residential complex on Laginha Beach, Mindelo, Sao Vicente.

AVIATION

The chairman of Cape Verdean state airline TACV, António Neves said in Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau, that the company may launch scheduled flights between Bissau and Lisbon (Macauhub).

OPINION

Electra, the national power utility, supplies electricity in the nine inhabited islands of the country and also operates as a water distribution utility in the four main islands. Electra’s financial performance has deteriorated rapidly, mainly due to lack of investments in generation, delayed and partial tariff adjustments, customer arrears, obsolete equipment, and an escalation of non-technical losses due to fraud and unauthorized connections to the grid. Learn how Electra can fix its energy problems and cut its losses (InvestinCV blog).

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POLITICS

The 2011 General State Budget proposal was approved in its generality, with the support of the 38 legislators representing the governing PAICV, against the nay votes of the MpD’s 30 legislators and the UCID’s two. The specific sectors of the document will now be analyzed before the final, global vote (A Semana).

President Pedro Pires guaranteed that he will not occupy any more political posts after stepping down from the presidency at the end of his term this year. Speaking this week during a visit to Portuguese capital Lisbon, Pires did, however, affirm that he would maintain his dialogue with the Cape Verdean populace (A Semana).

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INTERNATIONAL

President Pedro Pires calls arrest warrant against Qaddafi “unhelpful” (A Semana).

China’s deputy trade minister, Jiang Yao Ping, said in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia that China would increase its aid to Cape Verde, as well as extending economic cooperation with the Macau Special administrative Region (MSAR) as a platform (Macauhub).

The Cape Verde Chamber of Commerce (CCCV) and the Chamber of Commerce of Electromechanical Products of China in Praia signed a memorandum of understanding for business and economic cooperation and development (Macauhub).

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Cape Verde’s Judiciary Police will undertake an operation to discover the whereabouts of the luxury cars stolen in Europe and which are believed to have been shipped to Cape Verde, as A Semana reported in its printed edition two weeks ago, citing an article in French newspaper Le Parisien.

BOA VISTA

The 3rd edition of the Sal Rei Traditional Fair kicked on the island of Boa Vista, serving as a space for the exhibition of local art in its most varied forms. In the center of the island’s main population center, the modern and the classic stand side by side to promote cultural tourism, encourage creativity and safeguard the traditions of Boa Vista (A Semana).

SAL

The Mayor of Sal, Jorge Figueiredo, called on the Chinese deputy Trade Minister, who was visiting the island, to support investments in the tourism sector (Macauhub).

SAO VICENTE

Rainwater drainage work and the freshly-asphalted Mindelo ring road will be officially unveiled on July 2 as a part of the commemorations marking the 36th anniversary of the independence of Cape Verde. The act will be presided over São Vicente mayor Augusto Neves (A Semana).

DIASPORA

Cape Verde’s maritime history and culture, intertwined deeply with that of New Bedford’s, is the centerpiece of a new, permanent whaling museum exhibit scheduled to open Tuesday, the 36th anniversary of the island nation’s independence (SouthCoastToday).

ECONOMY

Remittances sent home by Cape Verdean émigrés living in the Euro Zone continue to rise, particularly in Portugal and France, having surpassed the one billion escudo mark in May. Meanwhile, remittances from the United States continue to go down. Between March and May 2011, remittances from Cape Verdean émigrés totaled 33.7% more than during the same period last year (A Semana).

AVIATION

Portuguese airline TAP operated its first direct commercial flight between Portuguese capital Lisbon and the island of São Vicente on an Airbus 320 with 131 passengers and seven crew members. The connection is considered a historic mark by the CEO of Cape Verdean Airport and Air Security company ASA, and is hoped to lend potential to the economic dynamics of the northwestern region of the country (comprised of the islands of São Vicente, Santo Antão and São Nicolau) (A Semana).

72-year-old flight instructor Marcelo Meggiorina, who resides in the Cruz João Évora district of Mindelo, on São Vicente, wants to create an aero club on the island to teach Cape Verdeans how to fly small aircraft (A Semana).

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FISHERIES

The Cova de Inglesa Fishing Complex on the island of São Vicente celebrated the experimental certification of the Cape Verde spiny lobster (also known as the pink lobster, palinurus charlestoni) as a sustainable endemic product from the country’s waters. The act will be presided over by State Secretary of Marine Resources Adalberto Vieira (A Semana).

TELECOMS

Telephone and Internet customers are concerned about the delay in the delivery of the bills for these services, which have not been sent since May. The companies CV Telecom and CV Multimédia acknowledge the delay, but explain that it is the result of the implementation of new computer systems aimed at improving the quality of the service provided (A Semana).

TOURISM

The chairman of the board of directors of the International Cape Verde Trade Fair (FIC), Luís Cardoso, said at the end of the third edition of Expotur, which this year took place in Porto Novo, on the island of Santo Antão, that the number of visitors surpassed the expectations of organizers and exhibitioners alike (A Semana).

British group Assetz is finalising a tourism development project worth 450 million euros and with 2,200 rooms on the Cape Verdean island of Boa Vista, called Santa Mónica Beach Resort & Spa (Macauhub).

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