Parliament: Prime Minister says the country is determined to continue on the "hard road of development"

"In the face of continued severe droughts, we have protected farmers, animal breeders and the income of rural families," said Ulisses Correia e Silva, adding that his executive had invested in adaptation and mitigation for agricultural resilience, "with clear options" for greater diversification in water mobilization through desalination and the safe reuse of wastewater.

He added that there had been a "massification of drip irrigation" and reinforcement of the nexus of water and renewable energies.

The head of government made these remarks at the opening of the debate with MPs on the ten years of his government, a topic scheduled at the request of the African Party of Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV-opposition).

For Ulisses Correia e Silva, tax and financial incentives for farmers have allowed the area irrigated with the drip system to increase significantly, reaching 63 percent (%) today, heading towards 70% in 2026 and with the prospect of 100% in 2030.

"We have defined policies and investments with a view to developing the country in the medium and long term so that it is more resilient and more sustainable," said the prime minister.

He recalled that the country had successfully faced the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said were the worst health, economic and humanitarian crises since the Second World War.

According to Ulisses Correia e Silva, the country was able to cope with the pandemic, saving lives, as well as protecting people, jobs and income, preventing the economy from collapsing.

Also in the health sector, he stressed that five health centers have been built and seven more are under construction in order to reinforce primary care in the area.

"The central hospitals are now better prepared to respond to oncological diseases, to chronic kidney disease, which no longer causes external evacuation," said the prime minister.

In his view, the health sector has been strengthened.

In his view, imaging services, clinical laboratories and intensive care units are now a reality at the Agostinho Neto Hospital in Praia, and soon will be at the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in São Vicente.

Health professionals, he stressed, now have a much more attractive pay and career development framework.

"Health is yet another example of a commitment to the transformational cycle of Cape Verde's development, from a medium and long term perspective and not just a matter for the party cycle or the electoral cycle," said Correia e Silva.

Inforpress

Health is one of the most important areas of Cape Verde's development.

Inforpress