The Cape Verdean government held a handover ceremony for emergency food aid from China in its capital Praia on the 8th February. The Minister of Internal Affairs Paulo Rocha and the Chinese Ambassador to Cape Verde Du Xiaocong attended the ceremony and delivered speeches. Representatives from other Cape Verde government organs also attended the event.
Handover ceremony (Image provided by the Chinese Embassy in Cape Verde)
Rocha said that Cape Verde suffered severe drought in recent years and the emergency food aid provided by China could greatly alleviate the food shortage caused by the drought. Du mentioned that following the Beijing summit of China-Africa cooperation forum, China is providing emergency food aid to Cape Verde for the third consecutive year after 2016 and 2017, according to the request of Cape Verde’s government. It is hoped that the aid could mitigate the impact of drought on the population, and further accomplishments regarding cooperation in food security and poverty alleviation could be achieved.
The food will be distributed by the Cape Verdean side, and students in compulsory education and impoverished families affected by the drought are expected to benefit.
