On Wednesday, January 14, the Government of Cape Verde held the First Ordinary Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Innovation and Morabeza Project (MiP), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Olavo Correia and co-chaired by Minister of Digital Economy Pedro Lopes.

The main objective of the meeting was to align the strategic vision, strengthen the project’s governance mechanisms, and discuss the best approaches for implementing the national digital transformation agenda in order to ensure speed, impact, and concrete results.

In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance of efficient and coordinated implementation of the digital transformation agenda, highlighting the need to strengthen project governance, ensure adequate allocation of budgetary resources, and use funds strategically to ensure real impact. Olavo Correia also noted that Cape Verde has the vision, financial resources, and qualified staff to achieve the digital transition, and that alignment between teams and all stakeholders is essential, with a special focus on the digital economy.

During the meeting, the budget forecast for 2026 was presented, with a total amount of €6,534,224, distributed across three main areas of intervention. The Grow Local area accounts for the largest share of investment, with 4,975,500, corresponding to 76.1% of the total budget, reflecting the priority given to strengthening the national innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Go Global axis will have an envelope of 840,000, representing 12.9% of the budget, earmarked for the internationalization and external positioning of national initiatives, while the Digital Governance axis has 718,724, equivalent to 11.0%, geared towards institutional strengthening and improvement of the project’s governance mechanisms.

The technical presentation of the Innovation and Morabeza Project was given by the project manager, Milton Paiva, who highlighted the cross-cutting nature of the initiative and its structuring role in the modernization of the country. During his speech, he highlighted the use of technology as a driver of national transformation, with a direct impact on promoting employment and digital innovation, as well as the identification of 17 structuring activities resulting from the contributions of different stakeholders. Two pilot areas for the initial implementation of the project were also presented, and the need to raise governance to a new level of transparency and rigor throughout the digital transition process was emphasized.

The manager emphasized that MiP is a strategic opportunity for the members of the Monitoring Committee and for the entire digital economy ecosystem, allowing for the consolidation of best practices and accelerating the modernization of the public and private sectors.

The meeting was marked by a strong political commitment to strengthen and align resources, ensure the adoption of international best practices, and ensure that the Innovation and Morabeza Project establishes itself as a true instrument of structural transformation, with a direct impact on Cape Verde’s competitiveness and sustainable development.