Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Expresso das Ilhas
Published on 2024-03-12 08:57:10
Minister of Finance, Olavo Correia, said on Monday that the Government is hoping to find a “reference partner” to sublease port services in Cape Verde, currently managed by the National Ports Company (ENAPOR).
Olavo Correia spoke at the launch of the public consultation for the subleasing of port services, considered a significant step towards improving operational efficiency and global competitiveness of ports in the country.
The government official emphasized that the ongoing process of privatizations, concessions, and subconcessions of services that the Government is carrying out aims to open the country to the outside world to bring in new markets and create value.
“If we are opening up to the external market, it is to bring new value above what ENAPOR currently provides, otherwise we will maintain the status quo as it is. Therefore, we are looking for a partner who wants to invest to bring what we do not have in Cape Verde, an internationally strong and reputable partner, one of the best worldwide, because we are talking about an area that is crucial for the future of Cape Verde, crucial for the future of the youth,” he argued.
The government highlighted that the ultimate goal of this whole policy is to create qualified and well-paying jobs so that women and young Cape Verdeans can have a dignified life, living off the sweat of their efforts.
ENAPOR was presented as a solid and robust company that provides dividends to the State every year and is considered a strong arm of the State in implementing policies for the blue economy.
In 2023, according to data presented today, the company had a turnover of nearly 2.8 million escudos and a positive result of around 150 thousand escudos.
The Government’s proposal is to sublease part of the activities currently carried out by ENAPOR, specifically everything related to containers and general cargo, leaving the responsibility of the company for services such as unloading liquid bulk, part of solid bulk, roll-on, roll-off service, and cruises.
The Government’s proposal is to cover all nine ports on the nine inhabited islands for a period of 15 years, under the Landlord model, in which the State retains ownership of the infrastructure.
The public consultation is now open for a month so that international partners, national and international private entities interested in this process, as well as all Cape Verdeans living in the country and abroad, can access all information and analyze strategically the subleasing of port services in Cape Verde through an online platform.
Read the original article(Portuguese) on Expresso das Ilhas
