Cabo Verde Tradelnvest and Macao BringBuys Web Technology have met in China to discuss the creation of a technology hub in Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), which includes a cloud computing centre, an offshore data centre, training institutes and company incubators, Ana Lima Barber, president of the Cape Verdean agency, told newspaper Tribuna de Macau.

The Cabo Verde TradeInvest president and the director of the Information Society Operational Nucleus (NOSI) started a three-day visit to China on 7 August to learn about the West Africa International Cloud Computing Centre project, according to a statement released at the time.

The statement added that the visit is the result of an invitation from Macao Bringbuys Web Technology following a cooperation agreement signed between Cabo Verde TradeInvest and the Chinese company on the sidelines of the 12th Meeting of Entrepreneurs for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, on 21 and 22 June this year, at the Lisbon Congress Centre in Portugal.

Barber also said that the project involves an investment of more than US$20 million and recalled that in telecommunications, her country went from buyer to service provider in Africa, which allows the country to operate as a platform for other markets.

The president of the Cape Verdean agency announced that at the end of September, staff from BringBuys Web Technology will travel to Cabo Verde for the new phase in the project execution process.

NOSI chief executive Aruna Handem said that “there is still a lot of discussion ahead,” which will focus on the technology model, training and even sustainability.

However, it has been an excellent opportunity for Cabo Verde as, “we have always had good relations with China, we have worked with Chinese companies for a long time in terms of the development of information technologies and this is an opportunity we need to take advantage of.”

Although she chose not to give details of the agreement, Lima Barber indicated that “things are on the right track,” and that Macao BringBuys Web Technology is serving as a model for the private component, as the agreement involves many areas, with other companies expected to become interestes in investing in Cabo Verde.

The president of Cabo Verde TradeInvest told the newspaper that Macau continues to play an important role in the relationship with the archipelago, “and we have to understand how we can be complementary,” given that Cabo Verde intends to be a regional and African economic platform. (macauhub)