Speakers 2025

José Maria Pereira Neves was born in 1960 in Assomada, on the island of Santiago. He received his early education in Santa Catarina and completed his secondary studies in Praia, at Liceu Domingos Ramos. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration, earned with distinction, from the São Paulo School of Business Administration (EAESP) at the renowned Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), Brazil. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Public Policy at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa).

A professor at the University of Cabo Verde (Uni-CV), President Neves previously served as a technical officer at the Directorate-General for Studies and Administrative Reform (DGERA), and as Director of the National Centre for Training in Public Administration (CENFA).

His political career is marked by a steady and exemplary ascent through the national institutions of democratic governance. He served as Member of Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Public Administration, Local Government and Regional Development, Vice-President of the National Assembly, and Mayor of Santa Catarina.

In 2001, he became the youngest serving Prime Minister in Africa — a distinction that would presage fifteen years of steady, visionary, and reform-oriented leadership at the helm of government. During this period, he also presided over the African Party for the Independence of Cabo Verde (PAICV), securing three consecutive legislative victories with absolute majorities.

Under his premiership, Cabo Verde underwent a profound and multidimensional transformation. The country made historic strides in education, healthcare, infrastructure, renewable energy, information technology, and creative industries. It met most of the Millennium Development Goals, consolidated the rule of law and democratic governance, and ascended to middle-income country status. International rankings placed Cabo Verde consistently among the highest in Africa in terms of press freedom, democratic strength, and quality of governance.

As Head of the Executive Branch, Neves also led an ambitious agenda of structural reform, aimed at modernizing the governance architecture of the State. His administration introduced forward-looking reforms in digital governance, fiscal and budgetary systems, social security, regulatory frameworks, and the business environment — positioning Cabo Verde as a case study in institutional innovation. The World Bank notably recognized the country’s achievements in reducing poverty and tackling social inequalities. 

His overarching vision was to transform Cabo Verde into an international service and connectivity hub in the Atlantic, with tourism as a strategic engine of economic diversification and inclusive development.

For his contributions to governance and public service, President Neves has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Santiago (Cabo Verde), the University of Rhode Island (USA), and Cândido Mendes University (Brazil). In April 2024, he was also named Professor Honoris Causa by the Instituto Superior de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo.

His distinction on the international stage has been further underscored by numerous high-level honors and decorations, conferred in recognition of his exemplary statesmanship and public service. Among these are the Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco (Federative Republic of Brazil), the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion (Republic of Senegal), the Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (Portuguese Republic), the Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of Nassau (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), the Collar of the National Order of the Star of Romania (Romania), and the Medal of Merit Floriano Peixoto (State of Alagoas, Brazil). He has also been honored by the United Nations World Food Programme and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in Brazil, in recognition of his unwavering commitment to good governance and his enduring contributions to inclusive and sustainable development.

President Neves is a published author and thinker. His writings include An Agenda for Cabo Verde’s Transformation (2010), Cabo Verde: Managing the Impossible (2015), A Future to Build (co-authored with Francisco Pinto Balsemão, 2018), and Times of Pandemic (2020). In recent years, he has published the presidential trilogy In the Service of the Common Good — Volumes I (2022), II (2023), and III (2024), compiling the most emblematic speeches from the first three years of his mandate.

He was elected President of the Republic of Cabo Verde in 2021, winning in the first round against six other candidates. His campaign was anchored in a vision of moral authority, institutional renewal, and civic hope, promising a new beginning for the nation in the wake of the global pandemic. He was inaugurated on 9 November 2021.

In February 2023, he was designated African Union Champion for the Preservation of Africa’s Natural and Cultural Heritage, a role through which he has promoted the safeguarding of the continent’s rich but threatened legacies.

In June 2023, UNESCO appointed him Patron of the Ocean Decade Alliance, in recognition of his global advocacy for ocean protection, climate resilience, and the sustainable governance of marine ecosystems.

President Neves continues to be a compelling and respected voice in multilateral arenas, tirelessly advocating for the recognition of the existential vulnerabilities and structural asymmetries faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and championing more just, resilient, and sustainable global governance frameworks.