The project “SUPERAR: Overcome the Pandemic in the islands of Santo Antão, São Vicente and Maio“ implemented by the Association for the Defence of the Heritage of Mértola (ADPM), IMVF and several local partners and co-financed by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P., will support the adoption of measures to confront COVID-19 in Cape Verde, helping companies and tour operators on the islands of Santo Antão, São Vicente and Maio to face this difficult moment.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the world, and Cape Verde was no exception, with the cancellation of all international and domestic travel, economic activities directly and indirectly linked to tourism saw an abrupt reduction in a short period of time, putting the survival of small restaurants and accommodation units, as well as small agri-food processing units, at risk, despite government measures to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the Cape Verdean economy.
Thus, the SUPERAR project’s main objective is to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the local economy in Cape Verde and, specifically, to support the resumption of economic activity, in a safe way, on the islands of Santo Antão, São Vicente and Maio.
The project will directly benefit tour operators (guides, travel agencies, restaurants, hotels); entrepreneurs, associations and cooperatives indirectly linked to tourism (agri-food, cultural agents); artisans; young people and women, their associations and cooperatives on the islands of Santo Antão and Maio and indirectly the populations of the island of Santo Antão (38,750 inhabitants) and Maio (about 7,000 inhabitants).
The project begins in September 2020 and lasts 12 months. It is implemented by IMVF, ADPM, Porto Novo City Hall, Paul City Hall, Maio City Hall, Cape Verde Tourism Institute and Mundo Verde Association and is co-financed by Camões, I.P.