Government Approves 150 Million State Guarantee to Boost Atlantic Shipping Transit Services' Maritime Investment

The authorization is set forth in Resolution No. 96/2026, published today, which recognizes the strategic importance of the investment for strengthening maritime connectivity, logistics efficiency, the regularity of supplies to the domestic market, and Cape Verde’s economic integration with the diaspora.

According to the resolution, ASTS, a Cape Verdean company with exclusively private capital, provides transportation, logistics, handling, and customs clearance services for goods between the United States of America and Cape Verde, contributing to the regular supply of the domestic market and the strengthening of the logistics chain.

As part of its investment plan for 2026, the company intends to complete the repair and classification of the group’s vessel, which are considered essential to meet technical and safety requirements, enhance the vessel’s operational capacity, and ensure the regularity, reliability, and quality of the services provided.

To finance these projects, ASTS secured approval for a 150 million escudos bank loan from Banco Cabo-verdiano de Negócios (BCN), the terms of which were contingent upon the provision of a guarantee in the form of a government surety.

According to the resolution, the government considers the investment to be of significant public interest due to its potential contribution to boosting economic activity, creating jobs, enhancing the resilience of the logistics chain, and positioning Cape Verde as a logistics hub in the Mid-Atlantic.

The resolution also establishes that the financial transaction will have a total term of 60 months, including the drawdown and repayment periods, under the terms approved by the lending bank.

Inforpress