Praia, Feb. 4, 2026 (Lusa) - The Cabo Verdean President suggested on Wednesday, in an interview with Lusa, that Cabo Verde and France could discuss financing mechanisms and guarantees to address the concerns of the diaspora who, from the European country, want to invest in the archipelago.
In addition to integration into Europe, there is a great willingness among emigrants to invest in their islands, he said.
"With regard to Cabo Verdeans who are entrepreneurs and want to invest, we need to discuss the form of financing and guarantees for investments. They have raised these concerns with me on several occasions," said José Maria Neves, in a review of his six-day visit to French territory.
The concerns relate to "financing projects for investment outside France" and "difficulties in obtaining guarantees. The cost of money in Cabo Verde is still high and in France it is difficult to obtain financing to invest outside French territory," he described.
"As a country with a diaspora, we will have to re-examine these issues and see if there is any mechanism that can be created to ensure the financing and guarantee of Cabo Verdean investments abroad," said the head of state, pointing to the issue as a suggestion for discussion in the dialogue that the two governments have been maintaining.
The two executives are already discussing the holding of a business forum, he added, reiterating the idea he came away with after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday at the Élysée Palace: "There is great interest on the part of France in boosting economic and business relations. The return of the French Development Agency [to Cabo Verde] is also a fact" - in addition to the presence of the Vinci group (airports managing company) and French private firms in other sectors.
The business forum will be the next step ‘towards a more precise identification of opportunities and a set of areas that could receive French private and public investment,’ he said.
The visit to France "exceeded initial expectations," said José Maria Neves, although it remains to be seen whether the invitation already accepted by Macron to visit Cabo Verde will materialise.
"He is in the last year of his term of office, there are a number of geopolitical issues in Europe, but diplomatic channels will take care of this and we will see," said the President of the archipelago, adding that Cabo Verde will also hold two elections - legislative in May and presidential in November - making the 2026 agenda even busier.
The trip has brought "good references for Cabo Verdeans, praise for their ability to integrate and work," with the authorities saying "clearly that there are no blemishes on the Cabo Verdean community in France," he noted.
At a time when anti-immigration rhetoric is proliferating internationally, the visit to France served to show that "there is another world," another side of society that values communities.
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