Kevin Santiago, Bravense and MIT student, leads training that empowers young Cape Verdeans in São Vicente

Cape Verdean youngsters aged between 16 and 24 have created innovative mobile applications after taking part in intensive training promoted by TechPark Cabo Verde, in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. The program ran for about a month at the TechPark hub in São Vicente, and ended last Saturday, January 30, 2026, with the public presentation of the projects developed.

The initiative was led by Kevin Santiago, a third-year student at MIT, the son of parents from the island of Brava, who returned to Cape Verde to lead the training for the second year running. In January 2025, Kevin had already taken part in a similar event held in the city of Praia. This time, he was accompanied by a group of seven MIT students and experts in the field of computer science.

During 25 days of training, the participants learned how to solve real everyday problems through technology, using the App Inventor platform to develop mobile applications. More than programming, the program focused on critical thinking, creativity and the ability to identify concrete challenges in Cape Verdean society and turn them into digital solutions applicable to the community.

The young people presented their projects at the so-called Demo Day of the MIT Global Teaching Lab program, highlighting innovative ideas aimed at areas such as education, community services and social organization. According to the organization, this is practical, high-level training aimed at both secondary school students and first-year university students.

Representatives of TechPark Cabo Verde underlined the importance of the partnership with one of the world's most prestigious technological institutions, stressing that initiatives of this kind bring Cabo Verde closer to global centers of innovation and create opportunities for the development of young national talent, including in the northern islands.

The participants said that the experience was transformative. For many, the training allowed them to develop skills that are not encouraged in traditional education, such as creative problem-solving, logical reasoning and the confidence to create technological solutions with a social impact.

The participants said that the experience was transformative.

The TechPark-MIT training thus reaffirms itself as a strategic platform for the technological training of Cape Verdean youth, promoting innovation, inclusion and connection to the qualified diaspora.