Pre-Approved Guarantee Protocol: A New Door of Access to Financing for Cape Verdean Companies

Access to financing remains one of the biggest challenges for the Cape Verdean private sector. Long processes, extensive requirements, and the need to prove financial solidity — often with incomplete documentation — make the journey difficult for companies that want to invest and grow.

It was in this context that the Pre-Approved Guarantee Protocol emerged, signed between Pró Garante and the Empresa Excelência initiative, promoted by BTOC. This new mechanism was the central theme of the latest Economia Descomplicada edition, where its potential impact on the national economic environment was highlighted.

1. What Is the Scope and Main Objective of This Protocol?

The Pre-Approved Guarantee Protocol introduces a relevant change in the way companies certified as EMPRESA EXCELÊNCIA can access financing. Traditionally, the process starts with the company approaching the bank, presenting its project, and waiting for an often slow analysis of its financial situation. The decision depends almost entirely on the quality of the information presented at that time. The new protocol reverses this logic.

Companies distinguished as EMPRESA EXCELÊNCIA automatically begin to benefit from a pre-approved guarantee issued by Pró-Garante. This works as a kind of “comfort letter,” allowing them, even before they decide to proceed with an investment, to already have formal support that they can present to the bank. This model makes the entire process:

• faster,

• more efficient,

• more secure,

reducing uncertainties and allowing companies to plan with greater confidence.

2. How Can It Benefit the Development of the Private Sector?

The most direct impact is the reduction of perceived risk by banks, one of the main barriers to business credit. With a pre-approved guarantee and EMPRESA EXCELÊNCIA certification, based on official indicators and audited accounts, companies are positioned as low-risk entities.

This can translate into:

• easier access to credit;

• more favourable financing conditions;

• ability to execute investment projects with greater predictability;

• incentive to adopt good management practices and financial transparency. 

In addition, the protocol promotes an important cultural shift: it recognises and rewards companies that are organised, present clear accounts, and maintain a solid financial profile. This movement reinforces competitiveness and contributes to a more robust business ecosystem.

3. How Should Banks Position Themselves in Relation to This Protocol?

Although the episode does not detail specific obligations for banks, it emphasises that this protocol represents a real opportunity for financial institutions. With the combination of:

• pre-approved guarantee,

• and EMPRESA EXCELÊNCIA certification,

banks begin to objectively identify companies with proven financial robustness. Lower risk means greater confidence — and greater confidence creates space for more agile processes, faster analyses, and potentially more competitive conditions for companies. In other words, the protocol creates an environment where everyone wins: companies, banks, and the economic system itself.

4. What Should Companies Do to Take Advantage of This Protocol?

The starting point, as has been said, is “within the company.” To benefit from pre-approved guarantees, companies need to:

• have organised and updated accounts;

• ensure transparency and regularity in financial information;

• maintain good indicators;

• present “bankable” projects with structure and viability;

• adopt solid and documented management practices. 

These conditions are also the pillars for achieving EMPRESA EXCELÊNCIA certification, which in itself already demonstrates credibility in the market. The programme also highlighted the growing interest of companies in certification, a sign that the private sector is evolving in the right direction: more transparency, more rigour, and more openness to external evaluation.

Conclusion

The Pre-Approved Guarantee Protocol represents an important step for the modernisation and dynamisation of the business environment in Cape Verde.

By recognising and supporting financially solid companies, it creates conditions to accelerate private investment, reduce risks, and reinforce national competitiveness.

The partnership between Pró-Garante and the Empresa Excelência initiative opens a new door: a door that rewards good management and offers Cape Verdean companies a safer path to grow, innovate, and contribute to the country’s economic development.

This topic was discussed in detail in the latest episode of the “Economia Descomplicada” podcast.

Listen to the full episode here:

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Economia Descomplicada - Rádio Morabeza | Protocolo Pro-Garante e BTOC: benefícios para as empresas no âmbito do programa Empresa Excelência