A volcanic landscape covered in forests, dotted with mountain peaks and washed by turquoise waters: on the little-known island of Príncipe, in the small island state of São Tomé and Príncipe, Gulf of Guinea, a multimillionaire entrepreneur is paying a "dividend" to the local population, on the condition that the exceptional biodiversity of the island, on which his commercial success depends, is preserved.
"I just received the first installment: 900 dobras (about 36 euros). It's certainly not a salary, but that's okay," exclaims Ermelindo Mendes, a 23-year-old technician, laughing in his village of Monte Alegre, atop the green hills of the island.
The initiative bears the signature of the South African-British entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, as well as the first African space tourist-astronaut ever, who for over 10 years has been developing an ecotourism model reserved for an ultra-rich clientele, transforming this island, difficult to reach from the coast of Central Africa, into a sought-after but exclusive luxury tourist destination.
The program of individual "dividends" paid to residents encourages them to preserve their natural environment, although some criticize the initiative, seeing it as a missed opportunity to collaborate with authorities in addressing the island's economic and social problems.
On the second largest island of the São Tomé and Príncipe archipelago, whose entire territory is classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the hotelier promises his visitors the discovery of a "hidden West African paradise". A night in one of its four hotels can cost up to 1,500 euros and the luxury experience offered to its customers, mostly European, is inseparable from a preserved environment.
To ensure the support of the island's 10,000 inhabitants, Shuttleworth has been distributing the "natural dividend" through its philanthropic organisation, the Faya Foundation, since February 2026. The inhabitants of the island are "the first custodians of nature, we need them", says Vik Michau, a sociologist at the foundation. In exchange for joining a charter that bans predatory activities on the environment – such as sand mining or unregulated logging – each adult resident can receive up to 6,250 dobras (250 euros) per quarter, in a country where 45% of the population lives on less than 3.15 euros a day, according to the latest World Bank data from 2017: in other words a “doubling” of the meager local basic salary, which ensures – so to speak – approximately the equivalent of 285 euros every 90 days.
Not to mention that, so far no one has managed to obtain the maximum amount, because "data monitoring shows that the state of nature is not yet optimal", explains Michau, who assures that residents will be able to earn more if they reforest the island or commit to "better choices towards nature".
Every year, 15,000 tourists visit the small 140 km² island, according to the tourism office, the vast majority of whom take advantage of the luxury ecotourism offers of HBD (Here Be Dragons), the group owned by the South African tycoon.
“Most visitors are looking for nature, tranquility, peace: everything the region has to offer,” underlines Wander Dias de Sousa Pires, director of Príncipe's tourism office. But for the inhabitants of this autonomous region, in one of the poorest countries in the world, the postcard landscape hides a daily reality marked by structural difficulties.
«Whoever comes looks at the landscape and thinks: “This is paradise”. But those who live here see the suffering", sighs Conceição Moreno, 46 years old, member of the National Assembly. “We live in extremely degrading socio-economic conditions: the cost of living is very high, we have no access to healthcare and quality education, and the roads and much of the infrastructure are dilapidated,” he adds.
The parliamentarian refused to participate in the "natural dividend" program proposed by the Faya Foundation, fearful of the "power dynamics" that such a donation could create and convinced that "the project should collaborate with the government to guarantee social progress and projects that ensure the development of the island". "The sums paid have no impact on the survival of a family; they are insignificant," he added.
Michau insists that the dividend should not be seen "as a salary", and that the foundation's charitable actions will not replace the state. "We are a private organization, not the government. We have very clearly defined the line between what is the government's responsibility, what we do here and what we can help with." And this "pioneering" experiment is "designed to be replicated globally," the multimillionaire's foundation boasts on its website.
