Geography
Between four continents
Ten islands in the central Atlantic. About five hours by air from Lisbon and less than two hours from Dakar, on the line between Europe, West Africa and the Americas.
G2G Strategic Architecture Framework · 2026–2035
Three bridges between the Atlantic and the Gulf
Cabo Verde and the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council start their partnership with people: athletes, artists, students and teachers. This site describes the three cooperation tracks for the first phase, 2026 to 2028.
Why Cabo Verde · The Atlantic position
A stable democracy in the middle of the Atlantic
Cabo Verde sits on the routes that connect Europe, Africa and the Americas: by air, by sea and by subsea cable. It is also one of the best-governed states in Africa. For a Gulf partner, this makes it a reliable base in the Atlantic.
Ocean territory
740,000km²
Exclusive economic zone (approximate), about 180 times the land area of 4,033 km²
Source: Marine Policy, 2024; OECD, 2022
Governance
3rdof 54
Rank in Africa for overall governance
Source: Ibrahim Index of African Governance, 2024
Freedom
92/100
Global freedom score, rated “Free”
Source: Freedom House, 2026
Visitors
1.25M
Guests in tourist accommodation in 2025, up 6.0%
Source: INE Cabo Verde, 2026
Blue economy
An ocean territory 180 times its land
The sea is the main national asset. The Special Maritime Economic Zone of São Vicente, around Porto Grande in Mindelo, has operated since 2021.
Connectivity
On the direct data route between Europe and Brazil
EllaLink, the first direct subsea cable between Europe and Latin America, lands in Praia. The Cabo Verde branch has carried up to 30 Tbps since June 2022.
Shipping
Next to the Atlantic shipping routes
After the Red Sea disruption, ship arrivals at the Cape of Good Hope rose 89%. Mindelo opened a new cruise terminal with a 400 m quay in June 2025. The ports can grow with this traffic.
Stability
Upper-middle income, with a currency pegged to the euro
The World Bank reclassified Cabo Verde as upper-middle income in July 2025. The escudo has been pegged to the euro since 1998. Cabo Verde is a member of ECOWAS and the AfCFTA.
Reach
A global diaspora and a culture the world recognises
The diaspora counts 1.5 to 2 million people across up to four generations. UNESCO lists morna as intangible heritage (2019) and Cidade Velha as a World Heritage Site (2009).
Why the GCC · The Gulf partner
Gulf finance already reaches Cabo Verde. The next step is people.
Gulf development lenders already finance projects in Cabo Verde. The Gulf also has institutions of world scale in sport, culture and education. Formal ties between the two sides are still few, so there is room for first agreements.
Sovereign capital
>$5tn
Assets of GCC sovereign wealth funds, about 40% of the global total
Source: Deloitte / Global SWF, 2025; Ifri, 2025
Africa projects
$110bn
Projects in Africa announced by UAE companies, 2019–2023
Source: FT Locations, 2024 · announcements, not spend
Already in Cabo Verde
$17M
Saudi Fund for Development loan for watersheds on Santiago, Santo Antão and Boa Vista
Source: Saudi Fund for Development, 2023
Sport finance
$1bn
Subsidised stadium loans for developing football nations, from the Saudi Fund for Development and FIFA
Source: ESPN, 2025
Existing finance
Gulf lenders already work in Cabo Verde
The Saudi Fund for Development lent $17 million for watersheds in 2023. The OPEC Fund lent $19.5 million for the Mindelo Cruise Terminal, which opened in 2025.
Investment
Gulf capital is a growing source of investment in Africa
UNCTAD reports that Gulf investors are now important sources of new greenfield investment in Africa, mainly in energy, logistics, real estate and infrastructure.
Sport
World Cup hosts with finance for football nations
Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup and Saudi Arabia will host in 2034. In 2025, the Saudi Fund for Development and FIFA opened up to $1 billion in stadium loans for developing football nations.
Culture
Museums that reach a global audience
Louvre Abu Dhabi received more than 1.4 million visitors in 2024, its highest number since it opened. Gulf museums can present morna and Cabo Verdean heritage to that audience.
Education and AI
Universities built for international students
Education City in Qatar hosts eight universities. MBZUAI in Abu Dhabi, the first graduate research university for AI, has students from 54 nationalities.
First steps
Few formal ties, so the first agreements matter
The UAE lists an air services agreement with Cabo Verde. UNCTAD lists no investment treaty with any GCC state. An investment agreement and a culture and education memorandum are realistic first steps.
01 · Sports
The World Cup made Cabo Verde visible in the Gulf
In 2026 the Blue Sharks played their first FIFA World Cup. They finished second in Group H without a loss and reached the Round of 32. One of those draws was against Saudi Arabia, a GCC member state. The sports track turns this visibility into long-term links in football and sport.
Group H
v Spain
0–0
Draw
Group H · Miami
v Uruguay
2–2
Draw
Group H · Houston
v Saudi Arabia
0–0
Draw · qualified
Round of 32 · Miami
v Argentina
2–3
Loss
2
Cabo Verde at the 2026 World Cup
Debut tournament · Sources: NBC, Sky Sports, The Charlotte Post, 2026
against Saudi Arabia, the Gulf was already on the pitch
Youth and coaching
Academies develop players and coaches on both sides
Exchange youth players and coaches between Cabo Verdean clubs and GCC academies. Run joint coaching clinics on the islands. Align coach education with CAF and AFC licence pathways.
Facilities
Shared facilities give the national game a base
Co-fund training pitches and sports-science facilities in Cabo Verde. National teams, youth programmes and visiting GCC squads use them for training camps.
Diplomacy and tourism
Fixtures and camps bring the partnership to the public
Schedule friendlies and pre-season camps. Connect each sports event to tourism and to a high-level delegation visit, so that every fixture also opens an institutional conversation.
02 · Culture
Port cities give both cultures a common language
Mindelo and the Gulf ports grew from the sea, from trade and from people in transit. The culture track connects the Lusophone and Creole world with the Arab world through festivals, heritage work and the creative industries.
Cabo Verde brings
- Morna, on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2019
- Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009
- Mindelo's music, carnival and festival scene
- A direct link to the Portuguese-speaking world
The GCC brings
- Museum institutions such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qatar Museums
- Capacity to host and fund large festivals and events
- Film funding and co-production, for example the Doha Film Institute
- Arabic language and heritage scholarship
3
What each side brings
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2009; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2019
Ports made both cultures. Ports can connect them.
Exchange
Festivals put artists from both regions on one stage
Run joint cultural seasons in Mindelo and in GCC cities. Invite musicians, writers and visual artists for residencies. Present morna and Gulf musical traditions side by side.
Heritage
Heritage programmes protect the past and train people
Partner museums on conservation, digital archives and exhibitions. Train Cabo Verdean heritage staff with GCC museum teams. Start with Cidade Velha and the historic centre of Mindelo.
Creative industries
Film, music and digital arts create jobs for young people
Co-produce film and music projects. Open creative-industry exchanges for young professionals. Link cultural content to tourism, so that visitors come for the culture as well as the sea.
03 · Education
Universities can move first, faster than state agreements
An agreement between two universities takes less time than a government-to-government accord. The education track starts there, with Universidade Técnica do Atlântico as the anchor. It then grows into maritime training and AI capability.
-
1
Q3 2026 First meeting Meet the first GCC institution: MBZUAI, Khalifa University or DP World.
-
2
Q4 2026 · this quarter MoU term sheet Agree the term sheet for a memorandum with the first GCC university.
-
3
Q1 2027 Working group Set up the joint working group. Agree the AI literacy pilot.
-
4
Q3 2027 First exchange Host the first exchange student or researcher.
-
5
Q4 2027 Phase 1 review The bilateral commission reviews results and plans Phase 2.
4
Phase 1 milestones
Target dates · Source: CV–GCC initiative tracker, June 2026
Higher education
Joint programmes build research depth in ocean science
Set up joint degrees, research fellowships and faculty exchanges. Co-fund PhD research in marine sciences and applied AI.
Maritime training
Maritime certification connects graduates to Gulf port operators
Develop professional training and certification for port and maritime careers with UTA's Instituto do Mar. Use Porto Grande in Mindelo as the training ground.
AI literacy
AI literacy prepares civil servants and students
Open AI training hubs in Cabo Verde. Run an AI literacy pilot for civil servants and university students. Build a joint research agenda in ocean data science.
Framework · G2G-SAF 2026–2035
Sports, culture and education open the first phase
The Government-to-Government Strategic Architecture Framework runs in three phases. A High-Level Bilateral Commission, co-chaired by both sides, governs it. Its Education and Culture subcommittee owns two of the three tracks on this page.
2026–2028
Phase 1 · Soft power and capacity
Sports diplomacy, cultural exchange, academic MoUs, AI training hubs and maritime education pilots.
2028–2032
Phase 2 · Economic transformation
Smart ports, free zones, marine energy, AI-enabled public services and tourism.
2032–2035
Phase 3 · Atlantic leadership
Cabo Verde as a recognised Atlantic hub, with the Blue Economy and joint ventures at scale.
5
Implementation phases
Scale: one tick = one year · Source: G2G-SAF strategic roadmap, 2026
Principle 1
Each GCC state leads where it is strongest
Partnerships are specialised by domain across the six states. They do not compete with each other, and no single state gets an exclusive arrangement.
Principle 2
Sovereign conditions come first
Every agreement includes non-negotiable conditions that protect the interests and the institutions of Cabo Verde.
Principle 3
Regional commitments stay intact
The cooperation is consistent with the commitments of Cabo Verde to ECOWAS and the African Union.
GCC liaison
Roberto Barbosa
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
A Cabo Verdean national based in Abu Dhabi. Physicist, with an MSc in Physics Engineering from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and more than twenty years in technology across Switzerland and Europe.
He is an independent advisor on AI and cloud for regulated institutions, and he coordinates the engagement between Cabo Verdean institutions and GCC partners.
Sources and status
The initiatives on this page are proposals under the G2G Strategic Architecture Framework 2026–2035. They are not signed agreements. Target partners are institutions that the tracks plan to approach.
- NBC Boston — Cape Verde v Uruguay, 2026 World Cup, 21 June 2026
- Sky Sports — Cape Verde 0–0 Saudi Arabia, Group H runners-up, June 2026
- The Charlotte Post — Cape Verde's 2026 World Cup run comes to an end, 4 July 2026
- UNESCO — Morna, musical practice of Cabo Verde, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2019
- UNESCO — Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande, World Heritage List, 2009
- Universidade Técnica do Atlântico — Cabo Verde × GCC Strategic Cooperation Dossier, June 2026
- CV–GCC initiative tracker and G2G-SAF strategic roadmap, June 2026
- Distance Mindelo–Abu Dhabi: great-circle calculation (haversine), 2026
- Deloitte — GCC sovereign wealth funds, 2025
- Ifri — Gulf sovereign wealth funds, 2025
- UNCTAD World Investment Report 2026, via Gulf News
- FT Locations data on UAE projects in Africa, December 2024
- Saudi Fund for Development — loans to African countries, 2023
- OPEC Fund — Mindelo Cruise Terminal project
- MedCruise — Mindelo cruise port opens, 2025
- ESPN — Saudi Fund for Development and FIFA stadium loans, 2025
- FIFA — 2034 World Cup host confirmed, 2024
- Abu Dhabi Media Office — Louvre Abu Dhabi visitors, 2024
- Qatar Foundation — Education City
- MBZUAI — five-year anniversary
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — agreements
- UNCTAD — investment agreements of Cabo Verde
- Forbes Africa — Cabo Verde, 2026
- Marine Policy — Cabo Verde EEZ, 2024
- OECD — Sustainable ocean economy diagnostics of Cabo Verde, 2022
- U.S. International Trade Administration — Cabo Verde maritime economy
- Submarine Networks — EllaLink
- UNCTAD — maritime chokepoints, 2024
- Freedom House — Cabo Verde, 2026
- Ibrahim Index of African Governance — Cabo Verde, 2024
- Inforpress — World Bank reclassification, 2025
- IMF — Cabo Verde reviews, November 2025
- IOM — Cabo Verde
- INE Cabo Verde via Inforpress — tourism 2025