Tenerife Port: Canary Islands to West African Ports

The economic situation, political stability and the adoption of open policies towards the reception of investments in West Africa, has made it possible for a large number of companies from Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands to establish themselves in that area, and at the same time, to attract new companies. Companies from Tenerife have adopted different methods for doing this, whether through the creation of representative offices or the creation 0f joint ventures with local African firms.

Exports from the Canary Islands to West African countries in 2002 reached a value of over 115 million euros, 17% lower than in the same period of the previous year, according to the foreign trade data of "La Agencia Estatal de la Administración Tributaria (A.E.A.T.)" (the State
Agency for Tax Administration).

As regards products, the leading exports include fishes and crustacean, mollusks and other aquatics invertebrates, minerals fuel, mineral oils and distillation products, bituminous matters, vehicle automobile, tractors and its parts and accesories, wood, pulp, paper waste, cardboard and glass manufacture. By countries, 46.93% of the exports were to Marruecos, while Mauritania had 16.09%, Nigeria 9.29%, the Ivory Coast 6.70%, Senegal 4.60%, Cabo Verde .30% and Guinea Ecuatorial 4.09%.