Desalination for Maio

The Government of Cape Verde has plans to install desalination plants on the islands of Maio and Brava. The cost of €10m will hopefully be funded by the European Union if the application is successful. The reason for this is an attempt to assist the struggling agricultural industry. This news was given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luís Filipe Tavares, following a delegation of ministers from Luxembourg. He announced that the negotiations were ‘very advanced’.

The lack of rainfall has had a detrimental effect on agriculture and if this proposal will provide usable water for farmers, this could be very significant. Brava is the smallest of the islands and the furthest south. Maio is one of the poorest islands and has suffered from having very little rain in the last few years. Sea water is plentiful in this island country, but the cost of desalination is high. Climate change may be the only long-term solution for Cape Verde.