Africa-Press – Cape verde. Chinese businesspeople residing in São Vicente are beginning to turn the focus of their business to the area of real estate and tourism, which they see with “a lot of future”, even more so with the construction of the Cruise Terminal.
The information was provided by the president of the Association of Chinese Businessmen in Cape Verde, Paulo Pan, who, in an interview with Inforpress, said that he is one of those examples of “many Chinese” who now intend to invest in the real estate and hotel sector, through the purchase of old houses, “somewhat abandoned”, in Mindelo.
In this case, an 11-room hotel, called Lili Resort Hotel, located on Rua Senador Vera-Cruz, should open before the second half of 2024, to welcome Chinese people, but also other tourists who want to visit the island.
“Cape Verde is islands, and Europeans and even Asians like the island climate, which is healthy all year round”, praised Paulo Pan, who, in addition to Cape Verde’s climate, highlighted public policies and the stable environment.
Like him, he confirmed that there are two other colleagues who also intend to open two more hotels, with 21 and 24 rooms, respectively, in old houses, acquired and renovated in the center of the city of Mindelo.
“Cape Verde is an international country and receives people from all over the world and, therefore, we have to prepare everything”, he maintained.
Asked whether the construction of the Porto Grande do Mindelo Cruise Terminal could be a lever for the expansion of the sector, Paulo Pan replied without hesitation that the infrastructure “will help the country a lot” and “create more opportunities for employment”.
“All young people who finish their studies and want to work, there will be work available to them”, he considered, urging, on the other hand, the authorities to invest more in professional training.
Even so, he praised the level of training of the current generation, which he believes is better prepared than the one he encountered around 30 years ago when he arrived in Cape Verde.
As proof, he pointed to the example of the employees of his new store, located on the ground floor of the future hotel, and who, through the information contained in their CVs, can now be used to also work in the hotel industry.
Still referring to youth, Paulo Pan assured that the Chinese association has also served as a bridge to make young Cape Verdean entrepreneurs have more knowledge of the Chinese market and import equipment for their businesses.
“To be more comfortable and gain more courage to invest in any area, since if they have to travel to China, which is very far away, they will spend a lot on transport”, reiterated the same source, explaining how the scheme works in where Cape Verdean businesspeople choose the equipment, and then it is up to the association to choose the factories and try to bring the products “with peace of mind”.
“Our association works like this, we support everyone on both sides, because we have knowledge of the Chinese market and we know the people here. We have been here for almost 30 years, we have a lot of trust in the people and the people also trust us and we help each other”, he launched.
Paulo Pan assured that there is indeed “a lot of reciprocity between Cape Verde and China”, so much so that other Chinese businesspeople are already looking to invest, not only in trade, but also in food services, product transformation, renewable energy and small industries .
“I have confidence in Cape Verde, Cape Verde has a great future”, stated the businessman, who has been in the archipelago since 1994 and feels “half-Cape Verdean” with “my heart won by Mindelo, my home”.
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