Last stop: Cape Verde

Aug 13th, 2009 2:50 PM UTC
By Beth Adler

Secretary Clinton is scheduled to cap off her 11 day trip to Africa with a visit to Cape Verde. For those of you who don’t know, Cape Verde is a series of islands approximately 300 miles off the western coast of Africa. The country was uninhabited until the mid-1400’s, when the Portuguese discovered and colonized the islands and brought African slaves to work on plantations. The country gained independence from the Portuguese in 1975.

Cape Verde is an African success story. Leaders in the democratically governed country have invested in their citizens and taken steps to enhance trade, helping them earn a compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)—a U.S. government agency created to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth—in July of 2005. The agreement provides Cape Verde with $110 million for the development of their private sector and various industries in an effort to become self-sufficient. Projects will include work on watershed management and agricultural development, infrastructure development, private sector incubation, and government transparency and accountability.

Cape Verde’s climate is hot and dry, and the terrain is rocky, making farming difficult. Only four of Cape Verde’s ten islands can support agricultural production, and the country imports most of its food. Cape Verde has developed some industry, particularly around fishing, but commerce, tourism and remittances still account for significant portions of the country’s GDP. The projects undertaken with assistance from the MCC will help Cape Verde expand its business prospects, develop industry, and increase economic productivity and opportunity.

-Beth Adler

TAGS: Cape Verde, Clinton in Africa 2009, Policy News