A modernized port has opened on Maio Island as part of a broader expansion of port infrastructure across the Cape Verde archipelago aimed at boosting sustainable economic development.
This port infrastructure forms an integral part of one of Africa’s strategic transport corridors that the EU envisages support.
The port will facilitate passenger and freight transport along the strategic Praia-Dakar-Abidjan corridor, and the potential for eco-friendly tourism and inclusive growth of the UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve Maio Island. raise it significantly.
Representatives from the Government of Cape Verde, the European Union, the African Development Bank, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, the European Investment Bank and the German Development Bank KfW attended Wednesday’s inauguration.
Jutta Ulpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, said: Along the Global Gateway, this strategic investment in port infrastructure and accompanying support by Team Europe for public services, including environmental protection, will enable communities to better exploit their green growth potential. Become. Cape Verde will be able to welcome more and more tourists while maintaining the highest environmental and social standards necessary to ensure long-term profits. “
Cape Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva said: “The inauguration will bring Cape Verde’s strategic vision to life and mark a new era for Maio, bringing it closer to the rest of Cape Verde and the rest of the world. This infrastructure will have an impact on revitalizing the island’s economy, attracting private investment, promoting mobility and employment, increasing incomes and improving conditions for a better future for young people.“
The opening of a modern port on Maio has greatly increased the island’s tourism potential and ushered in a new era of economic development.
Maio will benefit from improved connectivity with Santiago, Cape Verde’s largest island, home to the capital Praia, other islands in the archipelago, airports and international corridors.
The expansion and upgrade of the port, whose restoration began in 2019, is a key component of a €42 million project jointly funded by the European Union (€17 million), the African Development Bank (€17.8 million) and Cape Verde. Government (€7.2 million). This includes some minor work at the port on Sal Island.
The EU and EU Member States such as Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal are further supporting Maio’s inclusive green growth by investing in renewable energy and desalination plants.
Cape Verde’s Maio Biosphere Reserve encompasses the entire island and marine zone.
It has six main components: the Maio Island Nature Park, the Simidor Lagoon Nature Reserve, the Praia do Moro Nature Reserve, the Casas Velhas Nature Reserve, the Barreiro and Figueira Protected Landscapes, and the Porto Ingles salt pans.
The reserve is home to turtles, cetaceans and fish such as lemon and tiger sharks.
The island is home to over 256 species of animals, including three species of lizard, and more than 100 species of migratory birds visit the area.
