Sao Tome, May 8, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal will support Sao Tome and Principe to restore colonial plantations and provide training for professionals and young people to promote tourism, according to an agreement signed Friday in the capital.
Portugal's secretary of state for tourism, commerce and services, Pedro Machado, signed the 2026-2028 action plan in Sao Tome.
He leads a delegation visiting the archipelago until Sunday.
Machado said the 'Revive Patrimonio' Programme, developed in Portugal with private sector involvement, would serve as a model for heritage restoration.
"We will restore some of Sao Tome's historic buildings, namely the roças (plantations), we will transform them into sites for tourist visits, and to create new hotels," he said.
"By creating new hotels and more tourist beds, we are creating conditions for people to come, stay longer, spend money and buy Sao Tome's top products, from coffee to chocolate, palm oil to rich gastronomy. Citizens can count on the advantage of having more people consuming," he added.
The secretary of state said the agreement also included training and building the skills of Sao Tome’s young people, professionals and trainers in tourism and other areas.
"We want to create new perspectives, especially for young people, so they can train in hotels, restaurants, customer service and various tourism-linked services. This activity will help them have a better future and a better-paid profession. We believe tourism is a source of revenue," he said.
Sao Tome's environment, youth and sustainable tourism minister, Nilda da Mata, thanked Portugal for the partnership and said she believed the action plan would impact national tourism.
"The time is to act and perform. We have many guiding documents, strategies and action plans, but I sincerely believe this one will be different," the minister said.
The government launched a public tender on Friday to attract private investors to transform the country’s historic heritage into tourism assets.
The tender was announced during a joint ceremony held at Roça Diogo Vaz, which should be the first infrastructure to undergo intervention under the public-private partnership.
JYAF/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
