The FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme has contributed $1.5 million to launch a project in Cabo Verde, aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security in the country. 

The project agreement was signed in Praia, capital of Cabo Verde, on Feb. 4, 2021 by Gilberto Correia Carvalho Silva, Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, and Ana Laura Touza, FAO Representative in Cabo Verde. The Chinese Ambassador to Cabo Verde Du Xiaocong witnessed the signing ceremony. The agreement was previously countersigned in Beijing by Vice Minister Zhang Taolin.  

Under the FAO-China SSC Programme, this three-year project will be coordinated jointly by FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, and the MARA of China. Specific priority areas to be supported include agricultural production, pest control, livestock, and seaweed aquaculture.  

The project will assist Cabo Verde in capacity building activities at all levels, through different modalities such as study tours to China, field training and Training of Trainers program in Cabo Verde. China will dispatch seven experts to Cabo Verde to carry out a series of capacity building and field training activities.  

China has been one of FAO’s main partners in the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation. Since 2009, the FAO-China SSC Programme has benefited more than 70,000 people directly in over 10 developing countries in Africa and Asia. The Republic of Cabo Verde is the 14th country to implement a national project under the FAO-China SSC Programme.