SPS 2: What regional integration to support Cape Verde’s transformation effort?

This session will explore the following questions: How to ensure democratic governance of regional integration to take into account Cape Verde’s specificity and the interests of small states? How to involve the private sector in the integration agenda? How to integrate the West African market, establishing, for example, common licensing and regulatory procedures to allow companies to operate without regard to borders? How to make it easier for West African companies to work together regardless of borders? How to encourage partnerships and joint ventures to operate in all ECOWAS countries? How to build and strengthen regional institutions and link them to the sub-region's economy? How to invest in regional universities and science and technology institutes that serve as centers of excellence and that meet the challenges of development and building more competitive economies, through research and knowledge application? How to make sure our sub-region begins to look at innovation from a regional perspective?