Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to attend this

program. Dear brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, it is not news to you that I will be running
for President in August this year. I did not come here to tell you fairytales or promises I cannot
fulfil, just to persuade you to elect me to become the next president of Republic of Cabo Verde.
We are all here for a reason, not here just for me, you came here also because you want change in
our beloved country. After years of broken promises, hyper-corruption, poverty have caused low
level of trusts in politicians and politics in general. The feeling that politicians have become too
remote from the people have caused many people in our beloved country to believe that our
country is beyond saving and that there are no solutions to our problems.
I Nana Addo, will highlight the problems this country faces presently, then address solutions to
these problems, which I and my hardworking team desire to implement, for the development and
success of my country and its citizens. The things I, as your future president, want to do to will
change Cape Verde for the better. However, I cannot do this alone. Each one of you and I must
work together to get our economy on the right track, mend our broken lives, infrastructure,
institutions, and the overall society. You must help me to reform our rotten political system, by
getting involved, taking responsibility, and working together as a team.
I, Nana Addo strongly believes that our political institutions are dysfunctional and our nation is
in dire need of a radical change, a radical change I say. This process will require a great deal of
integrity and diligence in order to make a positive step towards development and fulfil my
promises to the people.

If I am elected, this is how I will help steer the country to the path of progress, of course all this
will be impossible without your help.
1. POVERTY
Poverty in Cape Verde is a mainly caused by poor natural resources and the underdeveloped,
narrow economic base. At the national level about 14 percent of the population are estimated to
be extremely poor and about 30 percent of the entire population being poor. Also, 35 percent of
the population are located in the rural areas. Cape Verde has a total Gross Domestic Product
(purchasing power parity) of $3.649 billion and per capita income of $6,867 as of 2016. Our
beloved country also has a total nominal of Gross Domestic Product of $1.747 billion and a
nominal per capita income of $3,287. Unfortunately, due to our location in the Sahelian arid belt
with rainfall levels different than that of nearby West African countries, there is prolonged
periods of drought, shortage of fresh water and a high population growth which put pressure on
the fragile agriculture base have all led to poverty in our country. Unfortunately, my brothers and
sisters the times have changed, previously we had high mortality rates and emigration as well as
famines which kept the population at a stable position where the currently inadequate domestic
resources could support us. Now, with falling mortality rates and stable fertility rates in addition
to declining opportunities for emigration, the pressure on the poor domestic resources is
increasing. With rural urban migration also on rise, the pressure on the social services
infrastructure is intolerable.
Even though our country has an unemployment rate of 25 percent which is better than that of
countries like South Africa, Spain, Greece, Bosnia and Libya, it is still a very key correlate of
poverty; about 44 percent of households with unemployed head are poor.

If elected as President in the upcoming August elections, I will;

1. Maintain sound Micro and macro-economic policy environment, and run an efficient
government and preserve the independence of the Banco de Cabo Verde;
2. Foster a conducive environment for accelerated and sustained economic growth and
employment creation through market-based economic and sectoral policies.
3. Promote an open and private sector based economy, along with sound social policies aimed at
improving quality and efficiency in the provision of social services
4. Increase the minimum wage which has been set at 11,000.00 Cape Verde escudos (CVE)
monthly (equivalent to US$138 or 101 Euros)
5. Work effortlessly to reduce unemployment rate to a level like or better than the record low of
10.70 percent in 2010. As of 1990 unemployment rate in Cape Verde reached in all time high of
20.2 percent, in 2013 it reduced to 16.40 percent. Also in 2014 it reduced to 15.80 percent. I will
embark on vocational training, entrepreneurial and skills acquisition scheme for graduates as
well as encourage the Government to focus on employment creation.
6. Make our economy one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world with a real
GDP growth surpassing that of other African countries.
7. Embark on export and allocation of capital in a way that will promote manufacturing,
including investment in infrastructure and expanding and promoting sub-regional trade.

2. OVER- DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN AID

As we all know it is very difficult to find an African country that is debt free and our country
Cape Verde is no exception. Even though this international aid is meant to help in developing our
countries on the African continent, in many African countries it is has made the poor poorer, and
the growth slower. It has left many countries debt laden and more inflation prone. Foreign aid
most often doesnt get to the intended people; it is controlled by the elites of the country. For
example, in a recent investigation by Forbes into the fortune of Isabel dos Santos, billionaire
daughter of the long-serving president of Angola, every major Angolan investment held by Isabel
dos Santos seems to come either from taking a chunk of a company that wants to do business in
the country or from a stroke of a pen from her father, the president. She does all this while,
according to the World Bank, less than a quarter of Angolans had access to electricity in 2009
and a third are living on incomes of less than $2 a day. In our country today we have a debt that
is 116.2 percent of our GDP, due to all the foreign aids and loans we take from countries like the
United States and also Intergovernmental Organizations like the World Bank and World Trade
Organization. Some of the deals we sign with other countries like the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) Compact (for $110 million, signed in July 2005) even though help in
infrastructure development, in a long way increase our debts.
If elected as President in the upcoming August elections, I will;
1. Lead the process on reducing dependency myself by implementing a strong national
development strategy with clear policies and results-oriented goals and indicators
2. Will increase accountability to domestic stakeholders
3. Ensure that the aid we receive helps us to mobilize other forms of development financing,
particularly domestic.
3. CRIME

Another issue that has been bothering our dear country is crime, brothers and sisters this is one
problem others may deem minor but it really effects the economy of this country. Crime has been
one of the main complaints made by tourists posting on a travel site about this archipelago off the
western coast of Africa. Most noted are crime reports in the capital city Praia and Mindelo. With
tourism being one of the countrys main source of revenue from foreigners we cannot allow this
to continue. Many of the visitors in our country commonly tourists, spoke of being mugged or
robbed, particularly on dark roads at night and in isolated spots. Due to the absence of street
lights in many public areas which also result from electricity blackouts, darkness is widespread
and crime is relatively easier. Marketplaces, celebrations and festivals also attract pick pocketing
from gangs of street children. In addition to street robbery, thieves sometimes wander into hotels
and try to steal the property of travelers, these report often came from travelers who stayed near
the beach in Santa Maria. According to data provided by local authorities in 2013, there was a
notable rise in crimes between 2011 and 2012 (10.35 percent). Cape Verde saw an increase of
deaths related to violent crimes than in years past, especially in the city of Praia. In 2013, there
were 41 homicides in Praia. The criminal statistics for 2014 are believed to surpass that of
previous years.
It is very sad to tell you people that Cape Verde has a high crime rate, but that is the situation at
hand right now. With a population of less than a million, crime rate should be low or medium but
with the occurrence of frequent crime in places like Praia, the Sucupira (outdoor market) and
Fazenda areas which are especially prone to muggings and purse snatchings, our crime rate will
only go up.
The increase in drug trafficking is another headache for our country Cape Verde, as drug dealers
and traffickers, from South America who want to send their businesses far keep on settling on the

islands and have committed many crimes like assassination or made assassination attempts on
government officials. Even though, law enforcement is working as best they can with limited
resources, they cannot seem to curb the problem and this continues to be a problem for the
country.
If elected as President, I will;
1. Embark on the creation of street lights to promote the safety of foreigners and citizens
2. Destroy the language barrier which seems to hinder foreigners from conveying
information to the police authorities.
3. Improve the remuneration and employment conditions as well as adequate insurance
cover for the entire police force.
4. Increase the resources of the police force to enable them to be more proactive not
reactive.

4. EDUCATION/ILLITERACY
Furthermore, our countrys educational system has been affected the plights of the country
resulting from mass importation, droughts leading to famine and unemployment. The official
language of Cape Verde is Portuguese; however, it is not the language in common use. The
locals prefer the Cape Verde Creole language. Adult literacy rates in the country is said to be
between 70 percent and 86 percent. As of 2008 the country was ranked 69th out of 110. The
academic year starts in October and ends in July. In our country schooling is free, universal,
and compulsory for students aged 7 to 13; however, measures are not put in place to ensure
the enforcement of this human right. Early schooling enrollment rates exceed 90 percent, but
the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school is
very bad. My people our educational statistics are not the best too. As of 2012 our children

out of school (primary) rate of was 1623, ranking us 57th out of 64. We have a primary school
completion rate of 81 percent, as of 2005 and a secondary level enrolment of 49522 people
which drastically reduces to only 2215 people getting enrolled in the tertiary institutions.
If elected as President in the upcoming August elections, I will;
1. Will put up measures to enforce compulsory primary education
2. Embark on policies that will enable free secondary education or at least make it very
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

affordable.
Get the government to allocate substantial funds to literacy education.
Help in integrating complex and more modern teaching styles in the country.
Work together with private institutions to provide supports, policies and finances.
Encourage corporate basic training.
Build more educational institutions to reduce pressure on the current ones
Help in creating a culture that esteems reading and promotes functional reading skills

from an early stage.

9. Work together with private corporations to provide scholarship or educational
opportunities for those in the rural areas who cannot afford it.
5. NATURAL DISASTERS
Our list of problems keeps growing my brothers and sisters, natural hazards and disasters cannot
be left out. Natural disasters are of some concern, as disasters like flooding tends to cause the
majority of problems after heavy rains, seriously affecting transportation routes and some of the
areas lying by the coast, like the So Nicolau flooding in 2009. Since Cape Verde is a group of
islands, it has some natural dangers that are related to both its makeup and positioning on the
world map. Our country is built upon a chain of volcanic islands which include 10 main islands
and five islets. The island of Fogo still erupts from time to time, I recall a volcano on the island
of Fogo erupted in 1995 and again in November 2014, this caused air traffic to be temporarily
diverted for international flights for two weeks. Apart from the island of Fogo, tremors from
eruptions can be felt on the islands of Brava and Santo Anto as well.