Cape Verde's goods imports rose 244.4% from a year earlier to 177.7bn CVE (€1.61bn) in the third quarter of 2026, statistics agency INE said on November 3. Imports in the customs chapter for reactors and boilers, which covers machinery and engines, rose to 118.1bn CVE (€1.07bn) from 2.9bn CVE (€25.9mn), or 66.4% of the total. Excluding that chapter, imports rose 22.4%, INE said.
Analysis: In one quarter, Cape Verde imported 88.9% of the 200.0bn CVE (€1.81bn) of goods it bought in all of 2025, by our calculation. INE did not name the importer or the goods. Capital goods imports rose 1,111.4%, however, suggesting a single equipment purchase rather than broad-based buying. The trade deficit widened to 175.1bn CVE (€1.59bn), although a lease or re-export could offset part of it elsewhere in the balance of payments. Underlying demand still rose 22.4%, with fuel imports up 77.6%. INE's fourth-quarter release, expected around early February, should show whether the jump was a one-off.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Cabo Verde), INE press release, external trade statistics, third quarter 2026 (November 3, 2026), Q3 2026 and Q3 2025 and 2025