Cape Verde PM Launches 2027 Budget Consultations
Cape Verdean Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho has launched a series of face-to-face consultations with the nation’s mayors, marking a significant shift in how the central government coordinates with local authorities to shape the country’s financial future.
Setting the Agenda for 2027
The meetings serve a dual purpose: identifying urgent infrastructure and social needs that can be addressed through a 2026 supplementary budget, and establishing long-term structural priorities for the 2027 State Budget. By engaging directly with local leaders, the government aims to ensure that the national budget reflects the specific realities of each territory.
“We are conducting this round of direct dialogue to hear the priorities of each territory,” Prime Minister Carvalho told reporters. “This is the best time to listen to them because we are currently in the preparation phase of the 2027 State Budget.”
Equity Across Political Lines
In this initial phase, nine of Cape Verde’s 22 municipalities are participating, with more sessions scheduled as local schedules allow. Addressing concerns regarding political bias, Carvalho emphasized that his administration would maintain a strictly non-partisan approach to development.
“As all municipalities represent the Republic of Cape Verde, they will be treated equally,” Carvalho stated, asserting that the executive branch’s logic is rooted in national unity rather than political orientation.
Fulfilling Campaign Promises
This round of consultations is the first since Carvalho’s African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) won the legislative elections in May. It signals the beginning of the administration’s efforts to modernize municipal financing.
Key to the government’s 2026-2031 program is a pledge to progressively increase the Municipal Financing Fund from 10% to 17% of state revenues. Additionally, the Prime Minister has promised a new model for how local authorities access public funds dedicated to tourism, the environment, and road infrastructure, alongside a broader transfer of competencies to local governments.
The consultations, which include participation from the Minister of Special Project Coordination and Access to Funds, José Carlos Varela, are scheduled to continue through Saturday.
Image: Pexels – Jonas Horsch
