The National Institute of Statistics held this Friday, January 27, in partnership with the Special Projects Management Unit, the World Bank and the Ministry of Communities, an International Round Table on the Production of Official Statistics of the Cape Verdean Diaspora, with the aim of launching a broad public debate on statistics of the Cape Verdean Diaspora, its production by the National Statistical System, and in particular, the realization until 2026, of the first Census of the Diaspora by INE.
This is an initiative promoted under the implementation of the project Harmonization and Improvement of Statistics in West Africa, a project implemented by UGPE, which aims to strengthen the statistical system of participating countries and regional bodies in Africa, to produce, disseminate and improve the use of key economic and social statistics.
The opening session of the round table that took place this morning, which was chaired by the Minister of Communities, Jorge Santos, included interventions from the Coordinator of UGPE, Nuno Gomes and the President of INE, João Cardoso.
In his intervention the Coordinator of UGPE highlighted the engagement of both UGPE and the World Bank in the process of making this sense, which according to Gomes is considered an important tool for any country in defining policy strategies.
The Diaspora statistics are fundamental, highlighted the Minister of Communities, Jorge Santos, for foreign policy at the bilateral level, which brings to the vision of a new paradigm for diplomacy integrates the Diaspora. And this will only be possible according to the minister if the country has official data from the host countries and only then will it be possible to know the profile of the Cape Verdean community in the diaspora.
“The Cape Verdean Diaspora is a matrix of any development plan for Cape Verde, since all public policies must have the Diaspora as one of its elements,” concluded Jorge Santos.
The round table involved stakeholders, in order to discuss the possibility of the National Statistical System, through INE, to start producing statistics on the Cape Verdean Diaspora, namely the implementation of a census of the Cape Verdean Diaspora, which is the goal of Goal 1 (Goal 2022-2026) [By 2026, census, map, study and know the profile of Cape Verdean communities abroad, at least in 20% of the 25 host countries, producing official statistics and promoting their integration in SEN], of Strategic Objective 4 (Sovereignty Pillar) of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development II (PEDS II).
It should be noted that this meeting was also attended by senior officials of the NSOs of the PALOP who are in the country, to also participate in strengthening the project to build capacity and improve the production of statistical program in the PALOP.