An official source told Lusa News Agency that a Czech-Cape Verdean company foresees an initial investment of €6 million (US$5.8 million) to start producing aircraft in Cape Verde to then sell them to the African market.
“I have been elaborating on this project for two years now; I created the Czech-Cape Verdean Aeronautical company, a company that will produce the airplanes from Orlican and Air Craft Industries in Cape Verde,” began by explaining Mónica Sofia Duarte, executive director of the company recently created in the Czech Republic.
Mónica Duarte is also vice-president of the Czech-Cape Verde Chamber of Commerce, created in April 2020, and that last week held in Praia the first business fair between the two countries, where she launched the idea of starting to produce small aircraft in Cape Verde.
The responsible indicated that it would start at the beginning of next year with the factory installation in Praia, near the current international airport. “A strategic place”, she stressed, noting that the company already has two hectares of land to implement the project there.
According to the promoter, the first phase will require an investment of about €6 million, while the implementation and manufacturing of the first planes with Orlican’s know-how and license will take about three years to produce the first five.
“We intend to take Cape Verdean technicians to train at the Orlican factory [a producer of add-ons for small aircraft since 1935] in the Czech Republic and then manufacture them in Cape Verde. The process and the quality will be the same as the airplanes made in Europe”, pointed out in the interview with Lusa.
As for the Air Craft Industries L410 airplanes, he indicated that initially, they would be resold only in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) market, but he does not rule out the possibility of manufacturing or assembling them in Cape Verde later.
“Cape Verde as a gateway for Czech investors to Africa” was the motto of the fair; hence the executive director of the Czech-Cape Verdean Aeronautics justified the intention to enter the ECOWAS market from Cape Verde.
“We have partners in other countries in Africa like Tunisia and South Africa that would be willing to collaborate with us as a safe and efficient way or path to the European market.
“The geographical position of Cape Verde, political stability, and government incentives for foreign investment are essential factors to motivate entrepreneurs to invest in Cape Verde,” pointed out the Cape Verdean physical engineer and entrepreneur, a native of Santa Cruz, north of Santiago Island, and resident for several years in the Czech Republic.
At this moment, he said that the Czech-Cape Verdean Chamber of Commerce is already articulating all the necessary steps with Cape Verde TradeInvest for the implementation of the project that he considers “will be an asset to Cape Verde” since some of the aircraft will stay in the archipelago to help solve the problem of air transport.
“I believe in this project; that’s why I appeal to young Cape Verdeans; the time has come to take action, the world is full of good ideas and opportunities, but success comes only through action. The easiest way to start something is to stop just talking and start acting.
“This is also true for your success,” encouraged Mónica Duarte, 30, who has a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance from the University of Finance and Administration in the Czech Republic, and who, in recent years, has carried out several projects in Cape Verde.
Among them is the creation of the Nadeje Foundation in Santa Cruz, to help children, youth, and disadvantaged women, held in May 2021 in Prague, the first Investment Forum between the two countries, supported Cape Verde with ventilators, masks, respirators, among other materials to fight covid-19, valued at €120,000.
Graduated in Technological Physics Engineering from the Superior Technical Institute of the University of Lisbon, philanthropist Mónica Duarte started very early in the fashion world as a model, having later founded a clothing, footwear, and accessories brand with her own name, and has been one of the enthusiasts for the strengthening of relations between the two countries.
With information from Lusa