Cape Verde’s president, Pedro Pires, said Tuesday in Shanghai that Cape Verde was ready to achieve most of its Millennium Development Objectives.

“My country has reached a 100 percent schooling rate for children under six, and life expectancy is now 70 years of age. By 2015 we guarantee to achieve most of the Millennium Development Objectives,” he said.

Speaking at the opening of the round table on Afro-Asian trade, Pires said that his country’s performance was due to “very clear choices in favor of education, culture and knowledge.”

“We understood very early on, in Cape Verde, that education and culture are pillars of socio-economic development. We therefore have paid special attention to these two sectors,” he said.

“Thanks to these choices, Cape Verde ensured continuous progression of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 5.7 percent between 200 and 2007,” he said.

Pires also noted the increase, over several years, of Cape Verde’s exports and the boost to private business.

“We have been successful in maintaining a balance of trade surplus thanks to current exports. Growth is real and all the elements point in the direction of our wish to make Cape Verde an intermediate income country,” he said.

Cape Verde’s president is in Shanghai to take part in the ADB’s annual general meeting scheduled for May 16 and 17.

Source: macauhub