Who I Am
I’m a Nigerian living in Praia, Cape Verde, building this site around what I’ve actually lived through since relocating here.
LaunchStand exists because I couldn’t find honest, detailed information about Cape Verde when I needed it most. Before I moved, I searched for real answers about opening a bank account, getting residency documents, finding work, and simply surviving the first few months in a country most relocation guides don’t even mention. What I found instead were vague estimates, outdated forum posts, and generic advice that didn’t match anything I actually experienced once I landed.
Why This Site Exists
Every article on LaunchStand comes from something I’ve personally done, paid for, waited through, or figured out the hard way — not research pulled together from other websites. When I write about opening a bank account, it’s because I walked into two different banks myself and got two completely different answers. When I write about the residency permit process, it’s because I spent 7 months and visited more offices than I can count to get mine. When I write about job searching, it’s because I was rejected three times before I finally got hired.
I started this site to be the resource I wish I’d had before I moved — written by someone who’s actually here, not someone summarizing what other websites already say.
My Background
I relocated to Cape Verde from Nigeria, arriving with limited savings and no existing support network. Since then, I’ve:
- Opened a bank account and navigated Cape Verde’s banking system as a foreigner
- Completed the full residency permit process, including all required documentation
- Searched for and found steady work in Praia’s security industry
- Built a functional understanding of Kriolu through daily necessity, not formal study
- Found and built genuine community within Praia’s Nigerian diaspora
- Started and grown a content and domain business alongside full-time employment
What You’ll Find Here
LaunchStand covers four main areas, all built around real, documented experience:
- Money & Cost of Living — actual tracked budgets, real prices, honest financial breakdowns
- Paperwork — step-by-step accounts of Cape Verde’s bureaucratic processes, mistakes included
- Daily Life — language, culture, and the practical realities of settling in
- Work & Business — job search realities, business opportunities, and building income while relocating
My Commitment to You
I don’t publish generic advice repackaged from other sites. If I haven’t personally experienced something, or don’t know it firsthand, I don’t write about it as though I do. Where I’m still learning or figuring something out, I say so honestly rather than pretending to have all the answers.
If you’re considering a move to Cape Verde, or you’re already here trying to make sense of it, I hope this site saves you some of the confusion I had to work through alone.
Get in Touch
Have a question about something I’ve written, or an experience of your own you’d like to share? Visit my Contact page — I read and respond to messages personally.