Who Leads Cabo Verde?

Leadership

Ulisses Correia e Silva

Prime Minister of Cabo Verde

Political Party

MpD

Inaugurated

Apr 22, 2016

Term Ends

2026

Next Election

2026

Born

Apr 6, 1962 in Praia, Cabo Verde

Country Population

598K

Continent

Africa

Ulisses Correia e Silva has been Prime Minister since 2016, leading the Movement for Democracy (MpD). An economist by training, he previously served as Mayor of Praia. He has focused on renewable energy, digital transformation, and making Cabo Verde a hub for air and maritime transport in the mid-Atlantic.

Government

Capital

Praia

Official Language(s)

Portuguese

Currency

Escudo (CVE)

Government Type

Parliamentary Republic

Area

4,033 km²

Cabo Verde is a volcanic archipelago off the west coast of Africa known for its Creole culture, music (especially morna), and beautiful beaches. Despite limited natural resources, it has achieved middle-income status through tourism and good governance. The country is considered one of Africa's most stable democracies. Singer Cesaria Evora put Cabo Verdean music on the world map.

Cabo Verde is a semi-presidential republic. President José Maria Neves (former Prime Minister; PAICV) has been president since November 9, 2021. Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva (MpD; Movimento para a Democracia) has been Prime Minister since April 2016 (re-elected 2021). Cabo Verde has a two-party system (PAICV and MpD) alternating power since 1991; it is consistently rated one of the most democratic countries in Africa. The National Assembly has 72 seats.

Economic Snapshot

GDP

$2.5B

GDP Per Capita

$4,100

Income Group

Lower-middle income

Trade Balance

Deficit

Inflation

3.9% (INE, 2023)

Cabo Verde's development model is one of Africa's most studied: a country with no natural resources, small population, Atlantic island geography, and colonial Portuguese origin that became democratic, reduced poverty, and graduated from LDC status. The model rests on three pillars: governance (consistent democracy; anti-corruption; rule of law), remittances (approximately 200,000+ Cabo Verdeans in Portugal; 70,000+ in USA; diaspora sends approximately 12-15% of GDP annually), and tourism (approximately 700,000-800,000 visitors/year; primarily from Europe; beach tourism in Sal; Boa Vista; cultural tourism in Santiago; São Vicente). The COVID vulnerability: in 2020, tourist arrivals collapsed approximately 80%; GDP fell approximately -14%; unemployment rose sharply; the vulnerability of a tourism-dependent SIDS (Small Island Developing State) was stark. Recovery has been strong (tourist arrivals recovering to pre-COVID levels by 2023-2024) but the vulnerability to external shocks remains a structural challenge. Climate change risk: Cabo Verde faces rising sea temperatures (threatening fish stocks); changes in trade wind patterns (affecting wind energy generation); sea level rise (threatening coastal infrastructure in Sal; Boa Vista; Santiago's capital Praia); and potential changes in the Saharan dust season (which currently brings significant nutrient-rich dust from Africa, fertilizing the islands' soils). Cabo Verde is a SIDS front-line climate vulnerability case.

Major Industries

• Tourism (~20% of GDP; beach tourism; Santiago; Sal; Boa Vista; São Vicente; diving; wind sports; ecotourism; approximately 700,000-800,000 visitors/year pre-COVID; recovering)
• Remittances (~12-15% of GDP; Cabo Verdean diaspora in Portugal; USA; Netherlands; France)
• Fishing (artisanal; small commercial; tuna; lobster; octopus)
• Financial services (offshore; growing)
• Renewable energy (wind; solar; reducing diesel dependency)

Cabo Verde is known for: Cesária Évora (1941-2011; born São Vicente; Cabo Verde) was the world's most celebrated Cabo Verdean artist: a singer of morna (the melancholic Cabo Verdean musical tradition; characterized by longing; saudade; the Portuguese/Cape Verdean emotional concept; influenced by Portuguese fado; African rhythm; and Atlantic Creole culture; typically featuring violin; guitar; cavaquinho; accordion); she performed barefoot (hence 'the barefoot diva'); she released her breakthrough album 'Miss Perfumado' in 1992 and became world music's most prominent African female artist; she won a Grammy Award in 2004. Cabo Verde also has the second-highest wind energy penetration globally (approximately 25-30% of electricity from wind).

Trade Profile

Cabo Verde runs a very large trade deficit (its 4,000 km² land area and 600,000 people cannot produce much); the deficit is financed by tourism revenues (~20% of GDP; approximately €500+ million/year) and remittances (~12-15% of GDP from diaspora in Portugal, USA, Netherlands, France).

Top Exports

• Fish (~60%; tuna; lobster; octopus)
• Footwear (~15%)
• Clothing (~10%)
• Bananas (minor)

Top Imports

• Consumer goods (90%+ of food; basically everything)
• Petroleum products
• Capital goods
• Machinery
• Vehicles

Export Destinations

• Spain
• Portugal
• Netherlands
• United States

Import Partners

• Portugal
• Netherlands
• China
• Spain

The world depends on Cabo Verde for: Atlantic fisheries management (large EEZ), morna cultural heritage (UNESCO), wind energy lessons (one of the world's highest wind penetration rates), and as a model of African democratic governance and LDC graduation

Cabo Verde depends on the world for: Food (90%+ of food is imported), petroleum, manufactured goods, tourism visitors (primarily from Portugal; UK; Germany), and diaspora remittances

Global Role

Cabo Verde's global significance is Cesária Évora and morna music (UNESCO; Grammy; world music icon), being one of the only countries to graduate from Least Developed Country status (2007), Africa's most consistent democracy, wind and renewable energy leadership, and as an Atlantic Blue Economy case study.

• Cesária Évora (1941-2011; São Vicente; Cabo Verde) was Africa's most internationally celebrated female musician: the 'barefoot diva' who brought morna (Cabo Verde's saudade-inflected musical tradition) to global audiences from the 1990s; she performed barefoot as a political statement against Cape Verdean poverty; won a Grammy (2004); influenced countless artists; her death was mourned with national mourning in Cabo Verde and international tributes
• Cabo Verde is one of only approximately 6-7 countries in history to have graduated from UN Least Developed Country (LDC) status: in 2007 (after decades of building democratic governance; investing in education; encouraging remittances and tourism); other LDC graduates include Botswana (1994), Maldives (2011), Samoa (2014), Equatorial Guinea (2017); LDC graduation is a major development achievement
• Cabo Verde has held 8 peaceful democratic elections (alternating power between PAICV and MpD) since the end of one-party rule in 1991; it consistently ranks as one of Africa's most democratic countries (Freedom House: Free; Mo Ibrahim Index: top 5 in Africa); it has one of Africa's highest human development indices relative to income
• Morna music (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage 2019): the genre's defining quality is saudade (longing; specifically the Cabo Verdean cretcheu; a melancholic longing for absent loved ones, islands, seas) reflecting the experience of an island people historically forced to migrate; morna combines Portuguese fado; African rhythm; and Atlantic Creole influences
• Cabo Verde's Blue Economy EEZ (approximately 700,000 km²; 175x larger than its land area) is being developed as a submarine cable hub (2Africa; EllaLink; MONET cables land in Cabo Verde), maritime services center, and sustainable fisheries base
• Fogo Island (2,829 m; Pico do Fogo active volcano; 2014-2015 eruption; the most recent major Atlantic island volcanic eruption; lava flows destroyed Chã das Caldeiras village; residents returned; the crater caldera is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) is one of the Atlantic's most dramatic volcanic landscapes

Frequently Asked Questions

Who governs Cabo Verde?

Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva (MpD; Movimento para a Democracia) has governed since April 2016 and was re-elected in April 2021. President José Maria Neves (former Prime Minister; PAICV) has been president since November 2021. Cabo Verde has a semi-presidential system where the president has limited executive powers and the prime minister runs government. Cabo Verde alternates power between MpD and PAICV (its predecessor) in regular elections since 1991; it is one of Africa's most consistent democracies (Freedom House: Free).

Who was Cesária Évora?

Cesária Évora (1941-2011; born São Vicente; Cabo Verde) was the world's most celebrated Cabo Verdean singer and Africa's most internationally known female musician of the 20th century. She sang morna (Cabo Verde's national music; characterized by saudade, a Portuguese/Creole word for longing and melancholy). She performed barefoot as a statement about poverty. She had a difficult early career (no international recognition for decades; drank heavily) until a French music label (Lusáfrica) signed her and released 'Miss Perfumado' (1992); it was a global world music hit. She won a Grammy Award in 2004 (Best Contemporary World Music Album). She died in December 2011 and Cabo Verde declared three days of national mourning.

What is morna?

Morna is Cabo Verde's national music genre: a slow, melancholic style (comparable to Portugal's fado; Cuba's bolero; Brazil's saudade-inflected traditions) characterized by a concept called 'saudade' (Portuguese; meaning nostalgia, longing, a bittersweet emotion for absent people, places, or times) or its Creole equivalent 'cretcheu.' Morna developed in the 19th century (initially on Boa Vista and Brava islands) and reflects the experience of an island people who have always emigrated: longing for the islands while away, and longing for absent loved ones. Traditional instrumentation (violin; guitar; cavaquinho; accordion) has evolved to include modern arrangements. Morna was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019. Cesária Évora was its greatest ambassador to the world.

Related Countries

• Portugal: Portugal colonized Cabo Verde (1462-1975); Portuguese is official language; Cabo Verde's culture (morna; saudade) is deeply influenced by Portuguese; approximately 200,000 Cabo Verdeans live in Portugal; Portugal provides approximately 40% of Cabo Verde's imports
• Senegal: Nearest mainland country (approximately 570 km east); many Cabo Verdean fishermen operate in Senegalese waters; Senegal and Cabo Verde share the West African coastal ecosystem
• Guinea-Bissau: Both are PAIGC historical partners (Amílcar Cabral led independence movements of both territories simultaneously from Guinea-Bissau); CPLP partners; both are Portuguese-speaking West African states
• Maldives: Both are Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that have graduated from LDC status (Maldives in 2011; Cabo Verde in 2007); comparison of successful island development models
• Brazil: Significant Cabo Verdean diaspora in Brazil historically; shared Portuguese language; similar Creole cultural blends (African-European synthesis)
• United States: Approximately 70,000+ Cabo Verdeans in New England (Rhode Island; Massachusetts; specifically New Bedford; a historic whaling port); the community dates to the 19th century when Cabo Verdean men joined American whaling ships