November 1997
Trotter Institute Hosts Prime Minister of Cape Verde
During a visit to UMass Boston, Dr. Carlos Veiga, prime minister of the Republic of Cape Verde, assured listeners that the west African island nation is advancing, modernizing and independent of Portugal, its former colonial power.
Veiga also asked for "support, solidarity and above all, investments," to help his country meet its greatest challenge -- self-sustained development and proper integration into the world economy.
The prime minister spoke Sept. 25 through a Portuguese translator to about 80 people, including Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie of the 5th Suffolk District and visitors from Plymouth, Plympton, New Bedford, Providence and New York City. Sponsored by the Trotter Institute, Veiga's visit was one of several stops in New England.
Cape Verde, off the coast of western Africa, is made up of 10 islands and eight islets. Almost 1-1/4 times the size of Rhode Island, the country's population is 390,000. The largest population of Cape Verdeans not living in Cape Verde reside in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Like most other African nations, Cape Verde has gone through the successive cycles of slave trade, colonialism and, more recently, a one-party system, said Veiga, the country's first democratically elected prime minister. The determination Cape Verdeans have exhibited in light of these tragedies keeps the country optimistic.
"Hope has always been the strongest survival weapon of the Cape Verdean people," Veiga said. "Five centuries after we made our appearance as a Cape Verdean people on the Cape Verdean drought-stricken islands, here we are, proud of our heritage and of our endurance capacity in face of extreme hardship and precarious situations which have been the backdrop of our existence," he said.
Veiga weighed disturbing news about Africa during the 1990s against simultaneous positive developments. While Somalia, Liberia, Rwanda and Burundi faced civil unrest, apartheid collapsed, Mandela was freed, democratic elections were held in many countries, and policies toward market economies were implemented.
"Economic growth rates of seven percent, 10 percent and even 12 percent in some African countries ... remove the grounds for pessimism and tell us that we shouldn't rule out the possibility of an African economic miracle," Veiga said.
"Cape Verde has been in the front-line of this African renaissance," he said. "The first multiparty elections in sub-saharan African were in Cape Verde. We then set the example of a smooth and peaceful transition from a one-party system to democracy."
Economic changes have included privatizing state-owned enterprises, liberalizing commerce and creating incentives packages to facilitate the emergence of a new entrepreneurial class, he said. Cape Verde has also made it a priority to "pursue the double objective of a stricter management of macro-economic indicators and of strengthening the confidence of the investors and other partners in Cape Verde," Veiga said.
Education is also in the forefront of development, the prime minister said. Though Cape Verde has no college or university, the government has created a department of higher education and is looking to establish partnerships with qualified institutions, Veiga said.
One audience member asked if Portugal, now a leading foreign investor, would resume power over Cape Verde. "You have no reason to worry," Veiga said. "This is actually what they are -- foreign investors, private investors."
Veiga stressed the need for foreign investment, stating that Cape Verde's national market is too small to produce for itself. "Be it Portuguese, French, American, Italian -- that is not important," he said. "What is important is that they are oriented toward programs and projects that are useful for this country."
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