India and Cabo Verde explore digital fisheries cooperation

Speaking at an India-Cabo Verde Partnership event on 24 July, Cabo Verde's Honorary Consul General to India, Sanjay K. Dewan, said digital technologies such as satellite monitoring, digital fisheries advisory systems, marine resource mapping, coastal surveillance and ocean data platforms could be an early area for cooperation between the two countries. He said fish processing technology, technical training and knowledge sharing offered more realistic starting points than a broad strategic agreement. Cabo Verde's blue economy is dominated by tourism, which generated about 468.7 million US dollars in 2023, while fisheries contribute roughly three to four per cent of GDP, with tuna and other fish among its main exports to the European Union. India, among the world's largest fish producers, has its own digital vessel and aquaculture systems. Dewan said the absence of direct flights between the two countries remains a barrier to closer engagement, and no formal blue economy agreement has yet been signed.