Africa-Press – Zambia. The Minister for Investment Promotion and Business Development argued today that the ambition to transform Cape Verde into a platform for intercontinental trade “is crucial” for development, although it constitutes a “complex task” involving various sectors.
This vision is enshrined in the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development (PED) and the Government’s program, Eurico Monteiro stressed in statements to the press, on the sidelines of the presentation of the Ibero-African Association of Chambers of Commerce (AFRICO), a parallel event to FIC 2025.
“We have, for example, increased exports very significantly, but we also want to do this exporting with market diversification,” he said, adding that the Government has been taking advantage of cooperation opportunities with European and African chambers of commerce.
According to Eurico Monteiro, meetings like the one that marked the presentation of AFRICO – which also celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Sotavento Chamber of Commerce and involves chambers from Spain, Portugal, and ECOWAS – are essential for strengthening business relationships, creating proximity, and boosting trade.
“We can take advantage of these synergies, involving entrepreneurs and their prospective organizations, strengthening their relationships, thus creating greater proximity and intimacy, in order to enhance our commercial relations,” he argued.
The official also pointed to a set of public policies to attract investment and promote exports, including tax and customs incentives for export zones, political and institutional stability, strategic geographic location, and trade agreements that grant preferential access to markets such as the European Union, the United States, and ECOWAS.
Recognizing that financing remains a limiting factor for businesses, Eurico Monteiro assured that the country has strengthened its credit capacity through mechanisms such as Pro-Garante, which provides approximately six million escudos in guarantees, capable of leveraging financing of up to eight million escudos, in addition to subsidized credit lines with interest rates of up to 2.5%.
On the same occasion, the president of the Sotavento Chamber of Commerce, Marcos Rodrigues, reinforced the importance of placing entrepreneurs at the center of economic diplomacy.
“Without entrepreneurs, we cannot think that countries can be successful if they do not have a support system and entrepreneurs who can make this journey,” argued Marcos Rodrigues, emphasizing Cape Verde’s privileged position in the Atlantic as a potential link between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
The businessman argued that, more than political speeches, the development of international relations increasingly depends on the direct involvement of entrepreneurs.
Marcos Rodrigues considered the creation of AFRICO to be “a project that will change the relationship between ECOWAS, Spain and Portugal,” highlighting that the initiative arises from the need to establish a mechanism capable of strengthening economic dialogue between the regions and improving coordination with the European Union.
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