Minister of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness José Brito is currently in Geneva, Switzerland to attempt to jump-start the process through which Cape Verde plans to join the World Trade Organization.

During his stay in Geneva, José Brito will also try to garner the support of the Organization’s main representatives - the United States, the European Union and Canada - so that Cape Verde may join the WTO by the end of this year. Cape Verde’s adherence to the WTO is a long-standing desire of the country’s authorities because of the advantages the country could gain through its participation in the Organization’s work and in multilateral negotiations.

On a domestic level, particularly in the industrial and commercial sectors, the process is at a relatively advanced level, according to a Ministry of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness source, as wide-reaching discussions involving business owners and commercial associations have been held. Our source admits, however, that there are still sectors in the Cape Verdean economy in need of the regulations required by the WTO.

There is, however, another factor pushing Cape Verde toward joining: the WTO currently counts 150 members, most of them countries with which Cape Verde maintains trade relations and which apply the institution’s regulations. These regulations, according to our source, do nothing more than facilitate international trade of goods and services, a system in which Cape Verde has no choice but to participate.

Source: A Semana