A former senior official from China has called for Cape Verde to develop its fishing and tourism sectors to create new jobs in the archipelago; Cape Verdean newspaper A Semana reported this week.

Li Gehua, former director of the Institute of Research and Training at the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China, made the remarks during a three-week-long seminar organised in China for 20 Cape Verdean journalists.

“Cape Verde should take advantage of its natural beauty to boost the tourism sector and explore more the fishing industry to spur economic growth,” he said.

He noted the infrastructure in the archipelago was “not bad” and the penetration rate of the Internet in the nation was also reasonable. “This is an advantage to attract foreign investment,” he added.

A Semana reported earlier this month that the Cape Verde media representatives’ trip to China opened “a new page in communications between the two countries”. It meant Cape Verde professionals could learn more about the development and reality of China, the news outlet added.