Lisbon, September 21, 2026 – Intercontinental Investment Bank (iib West Africa), headquartered in Cabo Verde, and Associação Maense em Portugal (AMP) signed, last Friday, September 18^th, a memorandum of understanding in Lisbon establishing a framework for cooperation between the two institutions, with the aim of strengthening the bank’s connection with the Cape Verdean diaspora and promoting initiatives with a positive impact on communities living in Portugal.

The signing ceremony took place at the Centro Cultural de Cabo Verde, bringing together representatives of iib West Africa, Associação Maense em Portugal, members of the Cape Verdean community, partners and several guests.

More than simply establishing an institutional partnership, the memorandum aims to build a bridge between iib West Africa and the diaspora, bringing the bank closer to Cape Verdean communities and creating new opportunities for cooperation in areas of social, educational, cultural and financial relevance.

The areas covered by the agreement include support for social and community initiatives promoted by AMP, including projects such as Mão Solidária, NOS CASA, Kapacita+ and Mostra Bu Sorriso. The cooperation may also extend to financial education and literacy initiatives through workshops, talks, seminars and other capacity-building activities.

The agreement also provides for the possibility of developing solutions that bring iib West Africa’s financial products and services closer to the specific needs of the Cape Verdean diaspora, as well as initiatives focused on skills development, employability and inclusion, and actions promoting Cape Verdean culture and identity.

Carlos Frederico, President of Associação Maense em Portugal, highlighted the importance of the partnership in strengthening initiatives aimed at the Cape Verdean community: “We want to turn the commitments we have made today into concrete initiatives in the areas of education and financial literacy, social integration, capacity building, employability and entrepreneurship. Because the best partnerships are not those that exist merely between institutions, but those that deliver tangible results in people’s lives”.

The signing of the memorandum is part of iib West Africa’s strategy to strengthen its proximity and connection to the Cape Verdean diaspora, recognising its economic, social and cultural importance to the country. The initiative also forms part of the Bank’s Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development policy, seeking to combine its financial activity with initiatives that contribute to the development of communities.

For AMP, the memorandum represents an opportunity to strengthen its capacity to develop and promote initiatives aimed at the Cape Verdean community in Portugal, creating new opportunities for collaboration and for responding to needs identified on the ground.

Rita Justo | rjusto@wlpartners.pt | +351 968941696

iib West Africa is a licensed banking institution headquartered in Cape Verde, serving corporate and institutional clients in Cabo Verde and worldwide. The bank is committed to promoting financial inclusion, innovation and the development of the private sector in the region.

More at: https://www.iibanks.com/our-banks/west-africa

The Maense Association in Portugal (AMP) is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization (NGO) published in the *Diário da República* No. 250, Series III, dated October 28, 2013, and registered in the National Registry of Legal Entities under the number (NIPC) 506269272.

Headquartered in Lisbon, but with several chapters scattered throughout the European diaspora, the AMP’s work throughout its existence has been based on the full integration of its members (mostly from the PALOP countries) into the European university communities where they have settled, through the exercise of their civic duties (and rights), promoting various cultural, economic, and social initiatives that benefit those same communities. Cooperation and solidarity are always at the heart of our members’ actions, with the aim of improving the common well-being and strengthening the ties between our members’ host and home communities, thereby fostering an increasingly cohesive social fabric.

More at: https://associacao-maense.com/