Cabo Verde becomes 5th FiTI Candidate Country

The FiTI International Board is pleased to announce that Cabo Verde has been approved as the fifth FiTI Candidate Country globally, and the second in the West Africa. The country’s Candidacy Application was discussed and reviewed by the Board during its 20th meeting on 16 February 2023.

Dr Valeria Merino, Chair of FiTI’s International Board, stated in her official recognition letter to Ms Iolanda Brites, FiTI National Lead for Cabo Verde: “I am pleased to announce that the FiTI International Board has approved Cabo Verde’s application, making Cabo Verde the fifth country to reach the important milestone of a FiTI Candidate Country. I would like to extend my congratulations to you and the FiTI National Multi-Stakeholder Group for this tremendeous effort and their hard work.”

Cabo Verde’s application describes in detail the various process steps that were completed by the government of Cabo Verde and the country’s National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), including the country’s public commitment to the FiTI, the establishment of the National MSG, as well as the MSG’s Terms of Reference and its first workplan for 2023. The implementation process was supported by the FiTI International Secretariat as well as the Regional Partnership for the Conservation of the Coastal and Marine Zone (PRCM), IrishAid and PROBLUE, an umbrella multi-donor trust fund, administered by the World Bank.

As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Cabo Verde represents an example of how SIDS can and should move towards improving their fisheries management through transparency and collective action.

Ms Iolanda Brites, Cabo Verde’s FiTI National Lead emphasised that the “FiTI provides a unique global framework to help coastal countries like ours to increase the credibility, transparency and quality of national information on fisheries governance, in a systematized way.” After submitting its application documents, the government of Cabo Verde also stated in its official communication that “the country’s policy on sustainable exploitation of fishery resources – including rational management, participatory governance and transparency – is fully aligned with the objectives and principles of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative”.

The next major milestone for Cabo Verde will be the launch of its first ever FiTI Report by the end of 2023 (covering calendar year 2022). This report – produced under the responsibility of the country’s FiTI National MSG – will cover a range of fisheries management information, including laws and policy documents, information on the health of fish stocks, fishing access agreements as well as key data about large-scale (industrial) and small-scale (artisanal) fisheries in Cabo Verde to support public understanding and engagement in decision-making. The report will also include the FiTI National MSG’s recommendations to help the government of Cabo Verde improve transparency over time.

Information regarding the official acceptance letter of Cabo Verde as a FiTI Candidate Country and the country’s candidate application package can be found here.

Congratulation Cabo Verde! Bom trabalho.