The observatory was launched in Praia during an international conference on immigration in Cape Verde and was created to fill the "lack of knowledge" about the migrant population, Silvano Landim, a technician at the observatory, told Lusa. "Several studies have concluded that there is a need to strengthen knowledge and the High Authority for Immigration (AAI) has always been stressing this," he said. Developed in partnership with Portugal's Integration, Migration and Asylum Agency (AIMA), the observatory operates at the Palácio das Comunidades, in the facilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Praia, and is accessible on the Internet at https://om-mne.gov.cv/ with studies, scientific articles, among other material related to migration in the archipelago, in a collection that is still growing. For the person in charge, the expectation is to be able to contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon of migration, taking as a reference Portugal, which has had an observatory for more than 20 years and which helps to make decisions in this area. "The Cabo Verde observatory will also have this vocation, it will have a research structure that will be able to contribute with scientific and duly substantiated evidence," said Landim, a graduate in Political Science and a master's student in Management and Public Policy. Data based on the 2021 census indicate an immigrant population of between 2% and 3% of the total of 500,000 inhabitants of the Cape Verdean archipelago (totalling almost 11,000 immigrants). It is estimated that more than one and a half million Cape Verdeans and descendants live abroad. The Cabo Verde Migration Observatory was created within the framework of the "Coop4Int -- Strengthening the Integration of Migrants through Cooperation between Portugal and Cape Verde" Project, implemented with the financial support of the European Union, through the International Centre for the Development of Migration Policies (ICMPD). The international conference was held by the High Authority for Immigration (AAI) of Cape Verde and aims to promote reflection and improve knowledge about immigration and the social integration of immigrants in the country. The role of cooperation in migration policies, the Portuguese and Cape Verdean experiences and the participation of civil society in the integration of immigrants were topics under debate. Read also: PJ de Cabo Verde quer reforço de inspetores e novos departamentos (Portuguese version)