Brazzaville, May 27, 2026 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde's economic growth is expected to slow again to 4.7% in 2026, following 5.2% in 2025 and 7.3% recorded in 2024, according to the African Development Bank's (AfDB) African Economic Outlook report.
The AfDB anticipated "moderate growth" of 4.7% in 2026 and 5.0% in 2027 in the report presented on Wednesday at the group's annual meeting in Brazzaville.
The report states that "continued demand for tourism services and infrastructure investment" will continue to underpin Cabo Verde's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2026.
The institution said inflation would remain low at 2.6% in 2026 and 2.3% in 2027. "The central bank is expected to adopt a more cautious approach in the following two years after active interventions in 2025," the institution said.
The current account balance is expected to be positive at 1.1% of GDP in 2026, before turning into a deficit of 1.8% in 2027.
The bank expects the deficit to widen to 1.3% in 2026 and 1.0% in 2027 "as public investment needs increase."
The AfDB said several risks surround the 2026 and 2027 growth projections, "mainly related to the unfavourable context of world trade, which could reduce global economic growth and affect peripheral economies."
The AfDB predicted in its "African Economic Outlook 2026: Mobilising Africa’s Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World" report that Africa's overall economic growth would slow to 4.2% in 2026, or even to 4% if the Middle East conflict were prolonged.
The AfDB Group presented the report at its annual meeting, where representatives from the 81 member countries – including heads of state, finance ministers, planning ministers, and central bank governors – would analyse the 2025 progress and the major challenges ahead.
The theme for the 2026 meetings, which run until Friday in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, is "Mobilising Africa’s Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World."
Health measures against Ebola mark the 2026 meetings. Authorities reinforced these measures in Brazzaville, which is divided from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by a river.
The bank also altered the format of the meetings, adopting "a hybrid format, allowing all delegates to fully participate in the proceedings, regardless of travel and logistical conditions."
*** Lusa travelled at the invitation of the African Development Bank (AfDB) ***
MIM/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
