Overview of Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde, is an archipelago and island country in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometers (Wikipedia). It is a sub-Saharan country located in the West African region, west of Senegal. The sales of Processed fish (43.1%), Non fillet frozen fish (23%), Molluscs (4.93%) and footwear (3.15%) accounts for about 70% of its export revenues.
Cape Verde is among the Economy of West African States (ECOWAS) with countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, among others. It is also part of the African Caribbean and Pacific group of states (ACP) countries and other organizations like the IMF, and UN.
Cape Verde is an Island and has a coastline, hence, goods will be shipped into the country through the seaport. The country depends largely on importation for survival, which presents an opportunity for foreign businesses in this African market especially with regards to the AfCFTA.
Economic Snapshots
Cape Verde has a coastline of 965km2, hosting 7 ports across the islands but its major ports with
container liner service is Porto Grande and Porto Praia. It is a predominantly a Christian nation, Catholics(77%), protestants 4.6% . Portuguese (official) and Creole are the languages spoken in the country. It is a lower-middle income country with a per capita income of about $3,070 (2020).
The GDP was about $1.7 million (2020). Inflation and unemployment rate is 0.6% (2020) and 8.5% respectively (World bank), while 46% of the country’s population is between 1-24years of age. The major products produced in Cape Verde include Banana, Sugarcane, Coffee, corn, beans, sweet Potato, fish, food and beverages, shoe and garment.