As part of the LISER Policy Lab’s activities, the CAIPD recently completed two missions to Praia, Cabo Verde. The first mission was accompanied by Thierry Lippert, Counsellor for development effectiveness and Representative to the DAC of the OECD, who was in charge of the Luxembourg Embassy in Cabo Verde from 2008 to 2012. These missions provided an opportunity to engage with Luxembourg cooperation partners in Praia, as well as with local authorities working in vocational training, labour market development, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic cooperation.

The CAIPD team met with representatives of vocational training institutions and officials from the Directorate General for Employment, the Directorate General for Planning, the National Statistics Institute, and the National Labour Market Observatory. Exchanges also took place with the Directorate for Economic Cooperation and Development, underlining the shared commitment of national and international stakeholders to fostering inclusive and sustainable growth in Cabo Verde.

Looking ahead to the forthcoming 6^th Development Cooperation Program (PIC), CAIPD aims to contribute to policy design and evidence building by:

• Reinforcing statistics, helping establish a solid baseline to measure progress under future cooperation initiatives.
• Developing strategies to increase NEETs’ (youth not in employment, education, or training) participation in vocational training, improving skills acquisition, and supporting transitions into quality jobs.
• Exploring innovative approaches to mobilize Cabo Verde’s large diaspora, whose skills, remittances, and networks are valuable assets for national development.

Through these missions, LISER and LUXAID reaffirm their commitment to evidence-based policymaking and to strengthening the role of research in international cooperation. The work illustrates how the LISER Policy Lab bridges academic research and policy practice through applied, collaborative initiatives.