Although recent, higher education in Cape Verde has shown great progress, and it can be said that much of this progress has been achieved through academic co-operation. The main purpose of this article is to analyse the influence of academic cooperation on the quality of education offered in the country and, consequently, the impact of academic collaborations on the evolution of the country’s higher education system, analysing the case of the University of Santiago. The methodology chosen for this work is mixed, and several scientific articles and theses were analysed. In addition, in order to investigate the case study, published documents on the university were reviewed and an exploratory interview was carried out with a lecturer at the institution. The study concludes that academic co-operation has played a fundamental role in education in Cape Verde, and is a very efficient strategy for overcoming the limitations of the country’s education system. It improves the quality of teaching and has a strong social impact.