The mayor of the Cabo Verde city of Porto Novo has said two potential investors, one Chinese and the other European, are interested in reopening the Fundão pozzolan cement plant on the island of Santo Antão, A Nação reports.

The Cabo Verde newspaper quotes Mayor Aníbal Fonseca as saying negotiations with the potential investors have only just begun, but that he is confident that the plant will eventually reopen.

The report says plant, built with Italian money, opened in 2005 but closed about five years ago because the business had financial problems.

It quotes Mr Fonseca as saying the city government is keeping the central government informed about developments because they are jointly endeavouring to find a new investor in the plant.

Porto Novo is estimated to have 10 million tonnes of pozzolan reserves, A Nação says.