Fazenda do Camarão, a shrimp farm on São Vicente, lost more than 50mn CVE (€453,000) in storm Erin, according to an infrastructure ministry survey, and has restored 60% of its production area, chief executive Carlos Santos told Expresso das Ilhas on October 24. Firms with storm losses above 20mn CVE (€181,000) may obtain state-subsidized loans at 2.5% of up to that amount under a government decree, he said.
Analysis: The maximum subsidized loan of 20mn CVE would cover less than 40% of the farm's reported losses, so other financing would be needed to fund a full recovery. The company says lenders want it to restore more facilities first. Shrimp production was about 40 metric tons in 2025, below the plan of just over 50, and the farm expects roughly half that output in 2026. The pace of repairs will influence how much locally produced shrimp restaurants and hotels can buy. The company expects a government response but has received no date, and the decree is not available online.
Source: Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas, October 24, 2026, 'Aquacultura: Transformar potencial em oportunidade' (interview with Fazenda do Camarão CEO Carlos Santos; FAO data cited by José Almada Dias), 2025-2026 and 2026 and October 2026 and 2024 (latest FAO data); Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas, October 24, 2026, 'Aquacultura: Transformar potencial em oportunidade' (interview with Fazenda do Camarão CEO Carlos Santos), 2025
The price of diesel used to generate electricity in Cape Verde rose 40.9% between July and October 2026, while road diesel rose 36% and gasoline increased 21.7%, the fiscal council CFP said in its report on the forecasts behind the draft 2027 budget, Expresso das Ilhas reported. The increases could push up transport, production and energy costs, the council said.
Analysis: Diesel used by power generators increased almost twice as fast as gasoline, raising costs for electricity producers such as Electra. Because regulator ARME sets tariffs, higher generation costs could put pressure on electricity prices or public subsidies. The draft 2027 budget includes 1.2bn CVE (€11.0mn) for fuel support and a social electricity tariff, though the allocation is not solely for generation. Hotels, desalination operators and manufacturers are exposed to any increase in power bills. ARME's next fuel price schedule, expected in November, may show whether fuel costs continue rising.
Source: Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas, October 25, 2026 (print edition no. 1299, October 21), reporting the Conselho das Finanças Públicas (CFP) report on the macroeconomic forecasts underlying the 2027 State Budget proposal, July-October 2026; Ministério das Finanças de Cabo Verde, Ministério das Finanças, Relatório do Orçamento do Estado 2027 (proposal), 2027; Forbes África Lusófona / Lusa, Forbes África Lusófona (Lusa), citing ARME price tables, October 2026
Cape Verde needs about €500mn of investment to modernize and expand its ports, Hamir Inocêncio, chairman of state port operator ENAPOR, said at an investment forum on Sal on October 26. A financing package linked to the European Union's Global Gateway program totals about €146mn, of which about €80mn is reportedly secured, he said, according to Forbes África Lusófona.
Analysis: The estimated €500mn requirement exceeds the €340mn invested in 2014, while the proposed €146mn Global Gateway financing package would cover less than one-third of the new need. Some €80mn is reportedly secured. Demand for port services has risen: cargo volumes increased 10.9% from a year earlier in the second quarter and container movements grew 17%. The figures support interest in expansion, but ENAPOR has provided no detailed project plan or timeline for the remaining €66mn in the financing package. Prospective contractors cannot yet assess when work might be tendered.
Source: Forbes África Lusófona / Lusa, Forbes África Lusófona, October 26, 2026, reporting ENAPOR chairman Hamir Inocêncio's presentation at the IFC Lusophone Africa Investment Forum (Sal), Multi-year (stated October 2026) and 2026 (in preparation) and 2026 and 2014; Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Cabo Verde), INE, Nota de imprensa Estatísticas dos Transportes - 2º trimestre 2026, Q2 2026
Internet traffic in Cape Verde reached about 61mn gigabytes in the second quarter of 2026, up 48.2% year-on-year, the multisector regulator ARME said in its quarterly telecoms report. Internet subscriptions rose 3.2% to 500,263, with fixed broadband up 14.7%. CV Telecom held 72.6% of subscriptions, while Unitel T+ and Starlink held 26.5% and 0.87%, respectively, Expresso das Ilhas and Lusa reported.
Analysis: Data traffic grew much faster than subscription numbers, lifting average traffic per subscription by about 44% from a year earlier, by our calculation. Active SIM cards fell 0.6%, pointing to heavier use by customers rather than rapid growth in their numbers. CV Telecom's market share rose 0.6 percentage points from the first quarter, while Starlink remained at 0.87%. Rising data use may require operators to invest in network capacity even without large subscription gains. ARME has not given a release date for third-quarter figures, and its second-quarter report appeared on October 22.
Source: Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas / Lusa, October 23, 2026, reporting ARME's statistical report on electronic communications, 2nd quarter 2026, Q2 2026; Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas, October 22, 2026, reporting ARME's Relatório de Indicadores Estatísticos do Mercado das Comunicações Eletrónicas, 2nd quarter 2026, Q2 2026 and June 2026
Cape Verde's tourism prices rose 7.5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, 4.0 percentage points faster than in the second quarter, statistics agency INE said on October 21. Hotel prices increased 10.1%, while restaurant prices gained 1.9%. Boa Vista recorded the largest rise among the islands at 8.6%, ahead of Sal at 6.3%, INE's press note showed.
Analysis: Tourism prices outpaced September consumer inflation of 2.7%. The rise was the largest since mid-2025, when it reached 8.9%. Hotels led the latest rise, with rates up 10.1%. Guest arrivals had increased 9.2% in the second quarter even as overnight stays declined 0.6%, but the available data do not establish why prices rose. Third-quarter guest and overnight-stay figures, scheduled by INE for November 4, may show whether the pattern of more visitors but shorter stays continued.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Cabo Verde), INE Cabo Verde, Índice de Preços Turísticos - 3º Trimestre 2026, press note (October 21, 2026), Q3 2026; Expresso das Ilhas, Expresso das Ilhas, October 21, 2026, reporting INE's Índice de Preços Turísticos - 3º Trimestre 2026, Q3 2026; INE Cabo Verde, INE, Nota de imprensa: Índice de Preços no Consumidor Nacional - Setembro de 2026, September 2026; INE Cabo Verde, INE, Estatísticas do Turismo - Movimentação de Hóspedes - 2º Trimestre 2026, Q2 2026
Chart of the week
Hotel guests in Cape Verde per quarter, Q1 2025–Q2 2026
325,135
253,360
268,904
400,653
379,657
276,598
Q1 25Q2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26
Guests checked in at hotels and other tourist accommodation, including domestic guests, from statistics agency INE; earlier quarters as republished in the central bank BCV's bulletin. The series is seasonal, so compare each quarter with the same quarter a year earlier: the second quarter of 2026 was 9.2% above the second quarter of 2025. INE has scheduled third-quarter figures for November 4.. Source: Banco de Cabo Verde, BCV, Boletim de Estatísticas agosto 2026 (monthly statistical bulletin, published 9 Oct 2026), Q1 2025 and Q2 2025 and Q3 2025 and Q4 2025 and Q1 2026; INE Cabo Verde, INE, Estatísticas do Turismo - Movimentação de Hóspedes - 2º Trimestre 2026, Q2 2026.
Tender of the week
Rehabilitation of four hiking trails in Ribeira Grande, Santo Antão (three lots)
Buyer
Integrated Project Coordination Center (CCIP, formerly UGPE)
Scope
Small works to rehabilitate four tourist trails in the municipality of Ribeira Grande on Santo Antão island, in three lots; national request for quotations under World Bank rules.
Value
Not published
Funding
World Bank (IDA credit 71260), Resilient Tourism and Blue Economy Development project (P176981)
Closes
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
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In Alama Pro this week
Deep dive: Cape Verde's 2027 budget targets a 1% deficit as debt remains high
10 signals with workings, from eight areas: shrimp farming and power-station fuel to ports, card payments, corporate bonds and bank lending
Five trackers, the tender of the week and every open tender we follow, with deadlines
