Cape Verde: Illegal sand extractions for construction industry erodes coastline

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Cape Verde Sand extraction © France24, AFP 01:31 Issued on: 06/08/2026 - 11:13 In Cape Verde, almost nothing remains of the postcard-perfect image of certain beaches on the island of Santiago. For decades, the illegal extraction of sea sand for the construction industry has been eroding the coastline. This illegal trade now threatens ecosystems, contributes to the salinization of farmland, and forces women to risk their health just to survive. Keywords for this article