Cape Verde in 2010

Cape Verde in 2010

Area: 4,033 sq km (1,557 sq mi)
Population (2010 est.): 509,000
Capital: Praia
Chief of state: President Pedro Pires
Head of government: Prime Minister José Maria Neves

Cape Verde remained one of the most stable and best-governed African countries in 2010. In December 2009 the country had become the first to be given the opportunity by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation to develop a second funding proposal. The year 2010 marked the end of the three-year transitional period instituted in 2007 after the UN upgraded the country’s status from least developed to middle income. To ensure that Cape Verde’s exports to Europe would not suffer once the transition period had expired, Prime Minister José Maria Neves met in Brussels with the European Commission to finalize an Economic Partnership Agreement that would allow Cape Verde to continue to enjoy favourable terms for its exports. Also discussed were a special visa arrangement for Cape Verdeans traveling to Europe and increased funding by the European Commission.

Though remittances from Cape Verde’s large diaspora decreased owing to the global recession, they remained substantial. For the first time, however, tourism revenues (about 20% of GDP) became the largest contributor to the economy. In response to the economic downturn, the government funded infrastructural projects and strengthened trade and business ties with Angola. In August it was announced that the country’s best-known singer, Cesária Évora, would return to the stage after recovering from heart surgery.

Christopher Saunders