Cabo Verde Escalate Digital Governance Reforms with €17.7m Loan from AfDB
Cabo Verde is set to deepen its transition toward a more transparent, technology-driven public sector following the African Development Bank’s approval of a €17.71 million loan to advance the second phase of the country’s E-Governance and Public Financial Management Reform Programme.
The new financing, endorsed on Monday, builds on support extended last year as the island nation intensifies its push to use digital tools to grow the economy, modernise state institutions and improve the daily lives of citizens.
Abdoulaye Coulibaly, Director of the Bank’s Governance and Economic Reforms Department, said the initiative aims to “stimulate economic growth through digitization and private-sector competitiveness, while advancing e-governance reforms to modernise public administration and consolidate public finances”. Boosting government services that matter to people’s existence.
One of the programme’s core goals is to make public services faster and more accessible. The rollout of e-Justice for example, will digitize court procedures, reducing delays, improving transparency and helping ordinary citizens and businesses resolve disputes more efficiently.
New incentives targeting private operators for Cabo Verde’s growing technology park, including clearer admission rules for digital nomads and high-growth tech firms, are expected to open more job opportunities for young people, support local innovation and attract talent from around the world. Strengthening governance and increasing trust.
The second phase of reforms focuses on improving how public money is managed and how government decisions are communicated. Cabo Verde will publish a full assessment of its annual tax expenditures in the 2026 budget and introduce an action plan to rationalise these expenditures. This are important steps toward greater fiscal transparency and public trust.
The African Development Bank will also fund a Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment in early 2026, giving policymakers and citizens a clearer picture of how effectively national resources are being used. This is a reform programme with broad social reach.
Apart from its digital ambitions, the programme also aims to reinforce institutions that impact everyday social and economic life. Beneficiaries include the Ministry of the Digital Economy, the Central Bank, the Institute for Gender Equality and Equity, the National Directorate of State Revenue and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, etc. The reforms are designed to modernise governance systems, promote fairness, inclusion and responsible public spending.
As Cabo Verde strengthens its digital infrastructure and financial governance, the reforms are widely seen as a chance to enhance service delivery, expand economic opportunities, building a more reliant and future-ready state, one where technology and transparency work hand in hand to improve life for all citizens.
