Remote Working Cabo Verde (Nómadas Digitais)

Remote Working Cabo Verde, branded 'Nómadas Digitais,' is a national programme launched in Praia in December 2020 by the Ministry of Tourism and Transports, together with the Cabo Verde Digital agency and private partner The Remote Impact, offering a renewable six-month work/tourism visa to foreign remote workers and freelancers.

In June 2021 the government publicly set a target of attracting 4,000 qualified digital nomads within three years, reported by Portugal's Público newspaper and by Macau Business. By December 2021, however, independent Portuguese press (SAPO, Visão) reported that only around three dozen remote workers had actually arrived under the scheme, with about a dozen settled on the island of São Vicente, where authorities were piloting a dedicated 'nomad village' concept.

The scale of the shortfall against the stated 4,000-person, three-year goal — even allowing for the programme still being in its early phase — makes this a useful cautionary example: an appealing visa concept and marketing campaign did not, on the evidence available, translate into commensurate uptake, plausibly reflecting constraints such as limited air connectivity, internet reliability and import-dependent living costs frequently cited in coverage of the scheme.

Read the full analysis: https://www.publico.pt/2021/06/11/p3/noticia/praia-tranquilidade-cabo-verde-quer-atrair-quatro-mil-nomadas-digitais-1966088