Moving to Cape Verde

Hi Staffan,

That's great. Immigrating to an island archipelago is a very romantic notion...on paper. You have already decided that you want to live here? What initial research have you done? You are aware of the reality of Cape Verde in practice? You are moving from a highly developed country of near 10 million people to a tiny, underdeveloped, poor African nation of 1/2 million spread across 9 islands. You will need to set your expectations appropriately...things you take absolutely for granted in Sweden are often not available here or are not the same as you are used to. This is AFRICA...it is not the Caribbean or the Canaries. If you are not prepared for this reality, you may end up being very disappointed. My point here is that you must be prepared and willing to accept the reality. If you are prepared, you can live here and thoroughly enjoy it. I've been here 8 years and I love it. I accepted the reality that I would have to live without all of the trappings of a developed country. It is frustrating at times knowing that CV is 40 years behind the Caribbean (I was born there so I know what I am talking about). Life here is raw, but I feel more alive.

And, have you made your plans about what you will do to support yourself? Has someone helped to review your plan to confirm that it is realistic? What about language...do you speak Portuguese? Without knowing the language, it can be extremely challenging to get by. A handful of locals speak a little English but they are few and far between. There are a number of English speaking expats who live here. You will need to connect to the expat network in CV.

What kind of lifestyle are you looking for? This question is pretty much what will determine which island will make the most sense for you. For example, I had someone visit me with the intention of retiring here. They had a decent retirement pension so they did not need to work. They swore up and down that they wanted to live in the mountains raising farm animals and planting a vegetable garden to provide food. They wanted the quietest possible lifestyle. So I took this person to Brava, and island of 6,000 residents. After just one day and one night there, they begged to leave on the next ferry. They could not actually stand the reality of their supposed dream retirement. We spent the next couple days on Fogo which is much bigger and more active. That was just OK. But in the end he just was not prepared to learn a new language. So after he returned to his home country, he ditched his plans to retire to Cape Verde.

So the best advice I can give you is to come to Cape Verde and spend a few weeks living among the people. Do not go to a hotel where the desk agents speak English. Instead, live with a local family. Start with Praia which holds half the population and 75% of the national commerce. Then explore the other islands from there. You will know very quickly if you can actually survive in Cape Verde and which island is for you.

Angelo

stab.76 wrote:

Hi! Staffan here from sweden,  planning on sight to emigrate from sweden to cabo verde. Looking forward to learn more from u ppl in here ab cv n  all different Islands ...
brg/ staffan

Hi Angelo!  Tnx for an very greeat answer. Owe been traveling alot around the world aswell spent over 1year in afrika (s.a), (swz)during the years.  What drags me to cv is the mixed afrikan, portuges culture among with the perfect climate.  My plan is to eventually starting a small bed n breakfast or restaurant +fishing tours. What to say an relaxed lifestyle without stress suits me more than perfect also. Also its just 7-8hr from sweden n pretty cheap tickets.  An old friend of mine was living in santa maria working as an pilot btw the islands untill recently ge told me alot about life in cv . I think hes based in congo nowadays ..I dont speek portuges but wont be a problem to learn, i have a little basic spanish knowledge that can help me on the way. Im planning to spend some weeks over there now in 2015 to exploit the Islands n see what i like most ,after that if i can find a good plot or house i will start to be there during the Winterseason and intergrate me and by the time more n more permanently stay there. IWe sen alot of plots n houses for sale on internet for huuuuuge prices and also been in contact with the cabo verde embassay in sweden that have me recomenation to go there in person and buy it for  more than1/3 of the internet prices or build it from start with local companys . A basic house 4-6 rooms as maximal with permission to build 1-2 more storey if starting b&b is what im going to seek for...

Hello Steffan,

Well you seem to have some of your expectations properly set given you experience in other parts of Africa. This is a big plus for you.

You plan to set up a bed and breakfast is an OK idea but it depends on how you do it. Most of the tourists (80-85% of them) coming to Cape Verde go to the islands of Sal and Boa Vista where there are massive hotels and lots of B&Bs. So the competition will be stiff. Especially in Sal where there is considerable infrastructure investments. On the other hand, there is much less competition in Boa Vista, but there is very little infrastructure there. So it will be hard to attract customers from the tour operators. In addition, 10% of the tourists go to Praia and the rest (5-10%) are spread among the other islands. So there are not sufficiently large natural market to support another B&B in the other islands (there are already several).

If you provide fishing tours, this may be a good way to offer differentiation. But to be successful, you will need to do your marketing outside of CV and build a strong client base. This may be possible because very few Swedes come to Cape Verde. So you could potentially become the dominant provider to Swedish tourists.

One thing to consider, is that the cost of living in Sal and Boa Vista are the highest of all the islands, and that includes real estate. So you will have to charge your customers accordingly. In addition, Sal and Boa Vista only offer sun and sand and not much of a cultural experience. Therefore, you will need to understand what your Swedish clients will be looking for and what prices they wish to pay. The answer to these questions will tell you which island you want to open such a business and offer B&B plus fishing services.

Getting your licenses will be quite straight forward. Building licenses are readily given provide you find the right location to construct (or you can buy an existing place outright). And the license to offer deep-sea fishing services to tourists simply requires that you make an application with the maritime and port authority and demonstrate that you meet all of the safety requirements. However, port costs may be high. So once again, you will have to be sure that you have a sufficient flow of clients to sustain your business.

Cheers,

Angelo

stab.76 wrote:

Hi Angelo!  Tnx for an very greeat answer. Owe been traveling alot around the world aswell spent over 1year in afrika (s.a), (swz)during the years.  What drags me to cv is the mixed afrikan, portuges culture among with the perfect climate.  My plan is to eventually starting a small bed n breakfast or restaurant +fishing tours. What to say an relaxed lifestyle without stress suits me more than perfect also. Also its just 7-8hr from sweden n pretty cheap tickets.  An old friend of mine was living in santa maria working as an pilot btw the islands untill recently ge told me alot about life in cv . I think hes based in congo nowadays ..I dont speek portuges but wont be a problem to learn, i have a little basic spanish knowledge that can help me on the way. Im planning to spend some weeks over there now in 2015 to exploit the Islands n see what i like most ,after that if i can find a good plot or house i will start to be there during the Winterseason and intergrate me and by the time more n more permanently stay there. IWe sen alot of plots n houses for sale on internet for huuuuuge prices and also been in contact with the cabo verde embassay in sweden that have me recomenation to go there in person and buy it for  more than1/3 of the internet prices or build it from start with local companys . A basic house 4-6 rooms as maximal with permission to build 1-2 more storey if starting b&b is what im going to seek for...

Hello Staffan,

Welcome to Expat.com

I created a new thread with your posts on the Cape Verde forum for a better visibility.

Shaazia
Expat.com Team