The World Bank’s technical mission under the Harmonization and Improvement of Statistics in West Africa (HISWA) Project kicked off this Monday, July 27, in the city of Praia, and will run through July 31, 2026.

The mission’s main objective is to assess the status of the project’s implementation and to define, in collaboration with the Government of Cape Verde, a work plan for completing priority activities before the project’s scheduled conclusion in December 2026.

Among the topics under review is the preparation of the Fifth Household Expenditure and Income Survey (V-IDRF 2026), a key statistical operation for producing indicators on poverty and the living conditions of the Cape Verdean population. During the mission, the team will also discuss the timeline for implementing the remaining activities, the redefinition of priorities, the possible rescheduling of certain actions, and the possibility of extending the project through December 2027.

Throughout the week, the World Bank team will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Special Projects Management Unit (UGPE), NOSi, the National Institute of Land Management (INGT), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries, among other institutions, strengthening coordination among the various partners involved in the project’s implementation.

The World Bank team consists of Ximena Del Carpio, Practice Manager; Ana Maria Oviedo, Lead Economist; Djibril Ndoye, Economist and Statistician; Daniel Valderrama, Economist; Sonia Sanchez Moreno, Senior Operations Officer; and Jandira Monteiro dos Santos, Team Assistant; and is also supported by the World Bank’s Resident Representative in Cape Verde, Indira Campos.

UGPE is actively participating in the mission through its Coordinator, Nuno Gomes; Project Manager, José Moniz; and the technical, financial, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, communications, and environmental and social safeguards teams, who are overseeing the work and ensuring the coordination of the project’s activities.

The Project for the Harmonization and Improvement of Statistics in West Africa aims to strengthen the capacity of the national statistical system by promoting the production of more reliable, harmonized, and up-to-date data to support public policy formulation and the monitoring of Cape Verde’s socioeconomic development.