Cape Verde is set to inaugurate a cruise terminal in Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, this Saturday — “a significant step for economic and tourism development,” announced the public port authority, Enapor.
The first cruise terminal in Cape Verde will improve the conditions for receiving cruise ships. Construction began in 2022, led by a Cape Verdean-Portuguese consortium formed by Mota-Engil and Empreitel Figueiredo.
Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva has described the infrastructure as strengthening São Vicente’s already established role in the cruise tourism sector, enabling it to accommodate more stopovers and larger vessels — in addition to improved tourist facilities, the terminal features a 400-meter-long, 20-meter-wide quay.
“I am confident that the neighboring island of Santo Antão will also benefit from this investment by the Cape Verdean Government,” said the Prime Minister during a visit to the terminal works in 2024.
The terminal can host two cruise ships simultaneously and up to 6,000 passengers. It includes facilities for customs, transit zones, security, and border control, along with public spaces designed to accommodate events integrated into the everyday life of Mindelo city.
The project was designed by Portuguese architect Luís Pedro Silva.
Cruise tourism has been growing, and during the 2023/24 season, Cape Verdean ports received 220 ships and nearly 91,000 passengers. “Porto Grande (Mindelo) recorded the highest number of stopovers,” said Enapor, which is now equipped with a purpose-built terminal.
The terminal was awarded for approximately 26 million euros, co-financed by the Netherlands’ ORIO Fund and the OPEC Fund for International Development. The investment is also part of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative in Cape Verde, announced in September 2024, with a projected investment of 300 million euros over the coming years.
Tourism is the driving force of Cape Verde’s economy, and the Government is seeking to diversify the sector.
Historically, the sun-and-beach segment has dominated, with the majority of tourists (1.2 million guests in 2024) concentrated in resorts on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista.
Source: Lusa
