Cape Verde Monday signed the Indicative Cooperation Program (PIC) with Austria for the 2006/2008 period, valued at a total 6 million euros, officials said.

With this program, Austria committed itself to financing projects related to decentralization and regional development and conserving natural resources in the municipal areas in the interior of Santiago Island, where the capital is located, focusing on rural and semi-rural areas.

The projects are mainly linked to water and sanitation, training and staff qualification, projects that will essentially benefit the most underprivileged populations.

Eva Kohl, representative of Austrian Cooperation, explained that this program was different from previous programs and took almost a year to be prepared in order that improvements and innovations could be introduced.