Cabo Verde: From a Past of Isolation to a Present of Hope in Ribeira Dos Picos

SANTA CRUZ, Cabo Verde, November 16, 2021 – As we travel along the banks of the Ribeira dos Picos river, it is impossible not to be struck by the green valley that stands out before the aridity of the landscape in the rest of the region. Considered one of the largest agricultural streams of the country, the emblematic Ribeira dos Picos is the primary source of income for most of the 6,500 inhabitants who live in the valley. They cultivate sugar cane, vegetables, and banana, among other products.

The valley is located in the municipality of Santa Cruz, 34 km north of Praia, the capital city of Cabo Verde. In the 1980s and 1990s, this area became one of the largest producers and exporters of agricultural products and the country’s headquarter of the largest agro-food complex. Today, fishing, livestock, and agriculture are still the main income-generating activities of the population, 60% of whom are under 20 years old.

However, over the years, the road network has been vulnerable and expensive to maintain because of the geography (steep slopes), geology (unstable and crumbly terrain conducive to landslides), and climate (heavy rains, potentially explained by climate change and likely to become more and more common). In addition, most of these roads were designed decades ago for much lower traffic volumes than those of today, many need to be re-engineered if not reconstructed.

A Past of Isolation 

Despite its beauty and favorable conditions for agriculture, people from Ribeira dos Picos lived a real drama for several years due to a lack of access to connect them to markets to sell their products and essential services, such as health and education. Especially during the rainy season, which always brought anguish.

“When it rained, the stream flooded, to the point of isolating the localities along the water’s course and impeding both the flow of agricultural produce and the mobility of the population,” explains Gualdino Tavares, a 52-year-old farmer with 40 years of experience. “As farmers, we came to the point of having to pay 300 escudos (roughly $3) for each 30 kg container, for men to carry the goods on their head, over a distance of 4 km. With two or three tons of products to deliver, it was very expensive to pay this amount to carry all that quantity of products. In conclusion: we were often left with unsold goods and faced huge losses.”

He also recalls more tragic and complicated moments when they could not help the sick or conduct funerals.  

However, the past of isolation and detachment is being transformed into hope for development. 

“When it rained, the stream flooded, to the point of isolating our villages”, says Gualdino Tavares, a 52-year-old local farmer in the area of Ribeira dos Picos, Cabo Verde. © Marco Medina Silva, World Bank

It Always Starts With a Road

In a region where agriculture is one of the sectors that offer the most job opportunities, one of the priorities of the economic agenda of the Municipality “is the unblocking of all streams of Santa Cruz, in order to enhance and boost the economic activity, promote job creation and improve the quality of life of its population”, says Carlos Alberto Silva, the Mayor of Santa Cruz.

The region’s transformation towards development is happening as the Ribeira dos Picos road paving and upgrading works advance, bringing great expectations to the farmers in the valley. These are the winds of change that bring prospects for greater prosperity to the region's residents.

The Transport Sector Reform Project funded by the World Bank, through the International Development Association (IDA) for $46 million, has a component for road improvement and maintenance. It foresees, among other works across the islands of Santiago, Brava, and Santo Antão, the paving and upgrading of the Ribeira dos Picos road. The road renovation should be completed by early 2022. The 7.5 km, which used to be a dirt track prone to flooding, will now be made of bituminous concrete, an infrastructure that will bring the residents out of isolation.  

“Roads contribute to development,” explains Eneida Fernandes, World Bank’s Representative in Cabo Verde. “By connecting people to the rest of Santiago Island, the new rehabilitation of the Ribeira dos Picos road will not only support the economic transformation of the valley but also strengthen social cohesion.”

Paving and upgrading work at Ribeira dos Picos road is advancing