Praia, Sept. 2, 2026 (Lusa) - The MpD, Cabo Verde's largest opposition party, on Wednesday called on the government to adopt measures to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices, highlighting the importance of addressing the effects of the increase on transport costs, electricity and essential goods.
«This has a knock-on effect on the economy because a large part of the economy relies on fuel to function. We have the costs of transport, electricity and water, but also in the agricultural sectors,» said the leader of the parliamentary group of the Movement for Democracy (MpD), Luís Carlos Silva, as quoted by Rádio de Cabo Verde (RCV).
According to the MP, the government «has a duty to act», given that the Amended Budget for 2026 has set aside funds to continue the protective measure, to ensure that Cabo Verde's purchasing power is maintained and to safeguard the purchasing capacity of individuals, families and businesses.
«Cabo Verde has a history of government intervention in recent years. We saw fuel price rises stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and earlier this year, with the war in the Middle East, the previous government intervened by suspending the automatic price-setting mechanism so that we could create a buffer here to protect Cabo Verde's citizens from the external impacts of price increases», he said.
The MpD requested clarification on the measures that will be adopted to stabilise prices, when the support package provided for in the Amending Budget will be mobilised, and how the Government intends to prevent the increases from being passed on to electricity tariffs.
Meanwhile, the Cabo Verdean Consumer Protection Association (ADECO) has also warned that the rise in fuel prices will have knock-on effects on consumers and the economy, impacting transport, electricity and food prices, and has called on the government to take measures to protect families.
Fuel prices are rising by an average of 4.51% in Cabo Verde during September, with diesel for electricity recording the largest increase, whilst butane gas is 0.21% cheaper.
The government, supported by the African Party for the Independence of Cabo Verde (PAICV), which won the elections on 17 May, announced on Monday in the Official Gazette that, between 1 September and 31 December, it will maintain a discount equivalent to 100% of the tariff increase for consumers eligible for the social electricity tariff.
For the other tariff categories, the government has set, for the same period, a discount equivalent to 70% of the tariff increase resulting from the update to electricity tariffs.
Cabo Verde's government expects to spend up to 529 million escudos (€4.8 million) to compensate electricity companies for revenue they will forgo due to tariff discounts applied between September and December.
The discounts apply to customers of the two public electricity service concessionaires, the Cabo Verde Electricity Distribution Company (EDEC) and Águas e Energia da Boa Vista (AEB).
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