Need Clarification as regards setting up Business in Cape verde

Hello Emeka,

You had the following questions and I have attenpted to provide some answers:

I have been trying to book a flight from Lagos to Cape Verde. How I can come to Cape Verde to start with?

Well first of all, there is a major pandemic affecting the globe at the moment. Several airlines have shut down services. And many countries have restrictions of international flights and the comings, goings and transits of travelers. Work with a travel agent who knows what's going on. I have no idea how you are going to book online if you are not checking the travel restrictions to make sure you won't be blocked. For example, you cannot go through Europe unless you have a Schengen visa! And even if you have a visa, there are some countries in Europe that have closed their borders due to the coronavirus.

Second, you cannot just come to Cape Verde. You must apply for an eVisa as a tourist for up to 30 days. You cannot come saying you want to start a business. There are certain requirements with which you must comply. You must have a return ticket, a reservation for accomodations (at a hotel is best) for the entire perod of your visit, and proof of sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay (for meals and lodging). If you just fly in here from Nigeria without following the immigration requirements, you will be immediately sent back to the last airport from which you departed.

I intend to start a Ridesharing app in the country (Something Like Uber, Lyft and the Likes). But I have no idea of how the process would look like. I just saw that the cost of setting up a business there is $350. Does this apply to the setting up of this kind of Business in Sal for instance? Are there other Levies I should settle? I plan on making it not just a Ridesharing Business, Also a Logistics Business.

It costs about €100 to start a business. You must also pay a local licensed accountant for a declaration called, "Terms of Responsibility". For this you could pay a local accountant up to €250 in Sal. In other islands, you will pay the accountant much less.

However, why would you want to start a Ride Sharing business in Sal? There are currently no tourists there owing to the global pandemic. And furthermore, the local population is at most 25,000. Half of those are youth and children who don't take taxis. And since there are no jobs, the adults aren't really needing taxis/ride share. There is nowhere for them to go. A ride share business in Sal is a losing proposition. Note that half the 500,000 population of Cape Verde lives on the island of Santiago. But there are already two ride share apps servicing the capital which has half the population of Santiago!

And what "logistics" do you think are needed in Sal, in which economic sectors, and by whom? Where did you get this idea from? It would be interesting to know your source of data seeing you are in Nigeria.

Have you done any research whatsoever on Cape Verde? You do know that the local language is Portuguese? We do not speak English here (except the tourists who go to Sal and Boa Vista ... and right now there are no tourists in Sal or Boa Vista). Use Wikipedia and Google for a basic understanding of what is here.

Hope this helps you to avoid making a huge mistake.

Cheers,

Angelo