Inforpress, officially known as Agência Cabo-verdiana de Notícias, is Cape Verde’s national news agency and principal provider of state-sanctioned news content. Originally founded as Cabopress in 1988 and rebranded a decade later, Inforpress has long operated as the country’s central hub for governmental and institutional news dissemination. While it technically functions as a news service, its output clearly reflects the voice of the state, and its role is often likened to that of an official press office rather than an independent wire agency.
Media assets
News agency: Inforpress
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Inforpress was established under Decree-Law No. 136/84 and began operating in 1988. The agency remains wholly owned by the government of Cape Verde, with its leadership—namely, the Director-General—appointed directly by the Council of Ministers.
The Director-General of Inforpress remains Jacqueline Elisa Barreto de Carvalho, who was appointed in October 2017 and, based on all available sources as of June 2025, still holds the position.
In February 2025, Parliament shelved a proposed Media Sector Reform Bill that would have created a regulatory framework for public service journalism, including Inforpress. Civil society groups expressed concern about the missed opportunity to introduce editorial safeguards.
Source of funding and budget
Inforpress operates entirely on public subsidies, with no disclosed commercial revenue model. While the exact figures remain undisclosed, interviews with media insiders confirm that Inforpress receives an annual line item in the national budget, routed through the Ministry of Finance and overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries.
According to journalist interviews conducted for this report in May 2024, Inforpress does not generate independent revenue from subscriptions or syndication, despite its exclusive distribution of official news content. This heavy dependence on state funding further undermines its editorial credibility.
Editorial independence
Inforpress has no institutional safeguards ensuring editorial independence. Its content is widely perceived as government-aligned, with coverage that routinely prioritizes the activities and messaging of state authorities. Investigative reporting, critical commentary, and opposition voices are either absent or relegated to non-prominent formats.
A 2024 analysis by the Centro de Estudos da Comunicação Lusófona described Inforpress as a “vehicle for state legitimacy,” noting its failure to challenge power structures or reflect pluralistic viewpoints. In the same year, the Cape Verdean Syndicate of Journalists (SJCV) released a public statement lamenting the “culture of institutional silence and editorial obedience” within the agency.
To date, no independent oversight body, ombuds mechanism, or internal review system has been implemented to monitor or evaluate Inforpress’s adherence to professional journalism standards.
June 2025