The transport sector in Cape Verde showed mixed performance in the first quarter of 2025, with strong growth in air and land transport. In contrast, some indicators of maritime transport registered slight declines compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
In air transport, 9,554 aircraft were handled, representing an increase of 17.5% compared to the first three months of 2024. The number of passengers also rose, reaching around 897,800 — up by 15.2% year-on-year.
The volume of cargo transported by air also saw a positive trend. A total of 272,600 kilograms of goods were transported, an increase of 8.5%. Postal shipments amounted to 106,000 kilograms, up by 8% compared to the same period last year.
On the other hand, the country’s ports handled fewer vessels, with a decrease of 1.8%. The number of passengers transported by sea also dropped by 2.8% compared to the first quarter of 2024.
Despite this decline, the volume of goods transported by sea increased by 9.3%, totaling 739,500 tonnes. Of this volume, 66.3% corresponded to goods unloaded at national ports, according to INE data.
Urban collective bus transport, which covers only the islands of Santiago and São Vicente, also recorded a positive trend. The number of passengers increased by 1.2%, totaling around 6 million in the first quarter of 2025.
The length of urban routes expanded by 9.3%, with an additional 64.1 kilometers covered by operators. However, the total kilometers actually traveled by buses fell slightly by 1.7%.
Meanwhile, the number of seats offered to passengers on buses grew by 1.6%, with more than 6.5 million seats made available during the period under review.
Source: Jornal A Nação
