Transparency Portal: From Open Data to True Democratic Accountability in Cape Verde
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
The launch of the Cabo Verde Transparency Portal, publicly presented on January 21, 2026, represents a significant step in the country’s path towards more open, digital, citizen‑oriented governance. Recognised by international partners such as the United Nations and the European Union, the portal emerges as a central tool to strengthen accountability, trust in institutions, and the external credibility of the Cabo Verdean State.
However, more than a symbolic moment, the real challenge begins now: transforming open data into effective transparency, capable of promoting public scrutiny, civic participation, and democratic accountability.
The Transparency Portal is a public digital platform that brings together, in a single space, budgetary and financial information of the State that was previously dispersed or difficult to access. Any citizen can now monitor in a structured and comparable way how the State collects and uses public resources, with data updated in near real‑time.
At the level of revenues, the portal allows users to consult collections by type of tax, see their monthly evolution, and even the contribution of each island to the national total. On the expenditure side, it is possible to track budget execution throughout the year, understanding how the resources approved in the State Budget are actually used.
The platform also includes modules dedicated to public debt, public procurement, the State Business Sector — with information about the economic and financial performance of public companies — and transfers to local governments, including through the Municipal Financing Fund, Tourism Fund, and Environmental Fund.
To contextualise these data, the portal also provides macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, deficit, and public debt, linking the State’s accounts to the overall evolution of the economy. From a technical perspective, it offers tools for detailed queries, export of data in open formats, and generation of customised graphs, facilitating independent analysis by journalists, researchers, and more observant citizens.
A New Relationship Between the State and Citizens?
The transformative potential of the Transparency Portal lies in its ability to reduce the traditional opacity associated with public finances. By making data visible that was previously excessively technical or not easily accessible, the portal creates conditions for more informed social scrutiny and more qualified participation in the public debate.
In this logic, transparency ceases to be just a political discourse and becomes an instrument of open governance. Journalists gain a more solid factual basis for their work, academia gains access to structured data for research, and civil society organisations strengthen their capacity to monitor public policies.
At the same time, this openness can help strengthen trust in institutions, to the extent that the State publicly assumes the willingness to be observed, evaluated, and questioned based on concrete data.
Challenges to Real Transparency
Despite the progress the portal represents, several challenges limit its effectiveness:
The first is the regularity and timeliness of information. Cabo Verde has a history of delays in publishing accounts and financial reports, something recognised by the authorities themselves. Without discipline in updating data, the risk is that the portal loses credibility and utility.
The second challenge relates to the completeness and quality of information. Real transparency implies publishing not only the most favourable data, but also sensitive information, such as payment delays, fiscal risks, actual performance of public companies, and relevant contracts. A transparency law is being prepared to define clear obligations of publication and provide sanctions for non‑compliance, but its practical application will be decisive.
A third challenge is comprehension of the information. The inherent complexity of financial data requires additional efforts in civic and financial literacy. The Government recognises this need and foresees complementary instruments, such as the launch of a Citizens’ Budget with more accessible language, as well as glossaries and navigation maps within the portal.
Finally, questions of inclusion and accessibility remain, since at this initial stage the platform does not yet fully meet the needs of people with disabilities, with promised improvements in later phases.
The Role of Society in Consolidating Transparency
The success of the Transparency Portal does not depend only on the State. Cabo Verdean society is called to play an active role. Citizens can use the portal to monitor investments, expenditures, and priorities in their islands and municipalities, and file complaints and suggestions whenever they identify omissions or inconsistencies.
The media now have conditions to deepen data journalism, crossing official information with reality on the ground. Academia and research centres have access to a richer base for economic, social, and territorial studies, contributing to a more informed and less perception‑based public debate.
Local governments and public entities are also called to align with this culture of transparency, ensuring timely and accurate submission of the information that concerns them.
A Path That Now Begins
The Transparency Portal is presented by the Government as a strategic tool to bring the State closer to citizens and strengthen trust as the “new capital of nations.” But the central message is clear: it is not enough to have a portal. True transparency requires complete, updated, understandable data – and consequences when information is omitted or delayed.
More than a finish line, the portal is the beginning of a journey. It is now up to the public administration to feed the platform with rigor and to civil society to use it actively. Only then can open data be transformed into true democratic accountability in Cabo Verde.
This topic was discussed in detail in the latest episode of the “Economia Descomplicada” podcast.
Listen to the full episode here:
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