Representatives of the Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) are gathering on Monday and Tuesday (26–27) on Sal Island in Cabo Verde to discuss private investment opportunities in logistics corridors, agribusiness, and sustainable tourism.

According to Lusa, the Lusophone Africa Investment Forum aims to “bring together investment opportunities and capital, promote new business partnerships, and strengthen economic ties” between PALOP nations and international investors.

The second edition of the event, organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private-sector arm, is being held on the same island that hosted the inaugural edition in 2025.

Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe have confirmed their participation, alongside investors, companies, financial institutions, and public-sector decision-makers from other markets.

The forum is taking place under the theme “Investing in Lusophone Africa: Empowering Corridors, Developing Agribusiness and Driving Sustainable Tourism”.

Among the participants announced by the organisers are representatives from companies and groups including Vinci Concessions, Lobito Atlantic Railway, Groupe Coris, Grupo Carrinho, Inalca, HBD Príncipe, and RIU Hotels & Resorts.

The programme includes sessions dedicated to logistics corridors and connectivity, agricultural supply chains, financing, energy, and tourism, with presentations from individual countries aimed at attracting potential investors.

On the energy front, Cabo Verde’s National Energy Pact will be presented within the framework of Mission 300, a World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) initiative designed to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.

That session is expected to address energy access expansion, renewable sources, and infrastructure modernisation, including opportunities for private-sector participation.

“Hosting the Lusophone Africa Investment Forum for the second time confirms Cabo Verde as a meeting point between markets, investors, and opportunities,” said Indira Campos, the World Bank’s resident representative in Cabo Verde, as quoted in the official statement. She added that “we want this meeting to translate into concrete investment.”

According to updated IFC data, the institution has mobilised approximately US$1.2 billion for ten projects across Portuguese-speaking African countries over the past five years.