Members of the Cape Verdean diaspora from Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal are today meeting in Rome to strengthen cooperation to effectively transfer their skills and competencies for the development of their home country through the transfer of their knowledge and professional competencies.

The event, part of IOM's "Dias de Cabo Verde" project, is backed by the Instituto das Comunidades de Cabo Verde and co-funded by the European Commission and the Portuguese government. 

"This meeting offers the opportunity for professional expatriates to develop a common approach to ensure their contributions can systematically contribute to the development of Cape Verde," says IOM's Tana Anglana. "With support from the private sector, IOM also intends to provide information on potential investment opportunities and promote business partnerships between diasporas and Cape Verde." 

A dedicated website allowing Cape Verdeans living in Portugal, Italy, and the Netherlands to register their professional profiles on-line is also being launched today.

The site, www.diasdecaboverde.org will act as a virtual meeting place and a comprehensive platform for information sharing on needs in key sectors, such as health, education and tourism. 

"Through this website, any person of Cape Verdean origin with commitment and professional skills can become a key actor in the development of Cape Verde," says Tana Anglana.

The event will bring together representatives of the Economic and Academic Life of Cape Verde, the Ambassador of Cape Verde in Italy, José Eduardo Dantas Ferreira Barbosa and Alvaro Apolo, president of the Instituto das Comunidades de Cabo Verde.

Cape Verde's diaspora numbers some 500,000 people worldwide. In Europe, the largest communities are to be found in Portugal (some 70,000), the Netherlands (some 20,000) and Italy (some 5,000, mostly women.)

For further information, please contact:

Flavio Di Giacomo
IOM Rome
Tel: +39 06 44 186 207
E-mail: fdigiacomo@iom.int