Guinea-Bissau's Council of Ministers postponed on October 22 a bill to create a warehouse receipt system, which would let stored produce serve as collateral for loans, and its regulator, giving an interministerial committee 15 days to revise the text, according to the cabinet communiqué reported by state news agency ANG.
Analysis: Warehouse receipts could allow farmers and traders to secure loans against goods stored in approved facilities, potentially benefiting cashew exporters. Guinea-Bissau shipped about 230,000 tons of cashew by September 22, making reliable storage and working capital important to the trade. Export-related bank lending fell 56.4% across WAEMU in 2025, though that regional figure does not measure Guinea-Bissau's demand for such loans. The committee has until about November 6 to review the proposal. The legislation would still require approval and implementation before warehouses could issue receipts, leaving the timing uncertain for the next cashew season.
Source: Agência de Notícias da Guiné (state news agency, Bissau), Council of Ministers communiqué of October 22, 2026, as reported by ANG, October 2026; BCEAO, BCEAO, Rapport annuel sur les conditions de banque dans l'UEMOA – 2025 (published September 25, 2026), 2025; Direction générale du Trésor, Service économique régional d'Abidjan / SE Dakar, DG Trésor, Brèves économiques Afrique de l'Ouest n°644 (25 Sep 2026), citing Ministério do Comércio e Indústria, 2026 campaign to 22 Sep