Cabo Verdean Minister of the Sea Abraão Vicente has described the potential of the fishing industry in his country as enormous and called for greater exploitation of fisheries to develop the economy, the Government says.

An official statement issued on Monday quotes Mr Vicente as saying: “We want to propose a radical change in the paradigm of the fishing sector. For this, we need to be aligned and, if well managed, it will be a very profitable sector.”

The Government says Mr Vicente was speaking when he and Mayor Carlos Silva of the southern Cabo Verdean municipality of Santa Cruz met to assess Cabo Verdean maritime resources and to set goals for exploiting them, with a view to expanding the economy.

More investment is needed in training and building up the capacity of young Cabo Verdeans in the fishing industry, and in applying new technologies, the announcement quotes Mr Vicente as saying.