Strengthening Digital Competencies Aims to Accelerate Cape Verde's Economic Growth
Cabo Verde is embarking on a digital skills strategy focused on strengthening competencies in emerging areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis to drive its digital transformation and potentially double its GDP. This approach targets enhancing not only employability but also overall productivity and innovation across the economy.
Key elements of Cabo Verde’s strategy include:
- Developing a national skills framework to build digital readiness among the population, with particular emphasis on future-oriented skills critical for the digital economy.
- Integrating digital skills training into education and vocational programs, aligned with labor market demands, to close current skills gaps especially in advanced IT roles.
- Leveraging technologies such as AI and data analytics as drivers for new economic opportunities and digital transformation initiatives.
- Promoting public and private partnerships to scale up digital skilling programs and encouraging the diaspora’s return as potential skilled contributors.
The strategy aligns with development goals to transform the economy by maximizing digitalization impacts, with studies indicating that stronger digital skills could enable Cabo Verde to reach digital economy contributions of up to 25% of GDP by 2030 and significantly boost GDP growth.
The strategy is part of the "Digital Cabo Verde" project, a collaborative effort involving several government agencies. Pedro Lopes, the Secretary of State for the Digital Economy, made these remarks at a workshop on the "National strategy of skills and digital readiness" in Praia.
The government is also working to strengthen infrastructure in educational and business spaces, with a focus on expanding the number of "digital squares" with free internet. The collective effort from families, teachers, and institutions is sought to promote the productive use of digital tools. The strategy's success will depend on what people are actually doing with their internet access.
The government's plan to address digital readiness is informed by a recent study involving over a thousand people from different islands. The strategy aims to create a country well-prepared for the information age, where digital skills are not just used for entertainment but for learning, training, and entrepreneurship. Lopes believes that this approach is crucial for Cabo Verde's digital transformation.
- To bolster Cabo Verde's digital transformation and potentially double its GDP, the government is developing a national skills framework that emphasizes digital readiness among the population, integrating digital skills training into education and vocational programs, and leveraging technologies like AI and data analytics to drive economic opportunities.
- For Cabo Verde to reach digital economy contributions of up to 25% of GDP by 2030 and significantly boost GDP growth, the strategy aims to create a country where digital skills are not only used for entertainment but for learning, training, and entrepreneurship, while also strengthening infrastructure in educational and business spaces to promote the productive use of digital tools.
