Cape Verde wasted opportunities of AGOA to export to the U.S.

Cape Verde has wasted opportunities to export to the United States in the framework of the programme, AGOA, created 18 years ago by the administration of north america, acknowledged the minister of cape verde of Industry, Commerce and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, Wednesday, in the city of Praia.

Therefore, the Government provides for the exemption from customs duties for more than six thousand products to african countries, said the ruler when you intervened during a workshop on the program “Growth and Opportunities for Africa (AGOA).

Alexandre Monteiro stressed that “the program, for some countries, has proven to be an effective mechanism and an opportunity to grow their economies.”

However, he acknowledged that, in the case of Cape Verde, the country is still to take the first steps, 18 years after the publication of the law and that, to take advantage of AGOA, the Government of cape verde will create a “highly competitive environment” to “produce more” and export.

“The opportunities offered by AGOA only result if we are able to produce and place these products in the north american market. For more there is good will, be worth nothing, if it is not created this highly competitive environment, everything will be in vain,” said the ruler.

To that end, Alexandre Monteiro pointed out some measures of economic and fiscal policy that the Government intended to adopt to promote and develop the industry, internal trade and external, and leverage the services sector.

One of the measures is the International Business Centre (CIN), whose enabling law was approved recently by the Government and where national companies and investors with the capacity to export can install and take advantage of the conditions and benefits of the AGOA.

The minister of cape verde of Industry, Commerce and Energy also called for the union of efforts of other entities, such as the private sector, and civil society, to take advantage of this “last chance” to take advantage of the program that ends within about seven years.

The AGOA provides that 40 african countries will export to the north american market, without customs costs, more than six thousand products, in addition to supporting african countries in their efforts to build free markets and opening their economies to international trade.

The program of incentive to the economic growth in Africa and its integration into the world economy, was extended to 2015 by the u.s. Government for more than 10 years.