United States Ambassador to Cape Verde

Ambassador of the United States to Cape Verde
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Donald Helfin since January 19, 2015
Nominator	The President of the United States
Inaugural holder	Melissa F. Wells as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Formation	September 16, 1976
Website	U.S. Embassy - Praia

Cape Verde had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. In 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.

The United States recognized Cape Verde and commissioned its first ambassador Melissa F. Wells in 1976. Ambassador Wells was concurrently accredited to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde while resident at Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. In 1980, an embassy was established in the capital Praia with a chargé d’affaires managing the business of the embassy.

U.S. diplomatic terms