São Paulo – Strategies for developing agriculture will be the theme of the 4th Brazil-Africa Forum, slated for November 3 and 4 in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná. The event will feature authorities and specialists from Brazil and African countries, among them Blairo Maggi, the Brazilian minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, and African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina.
The forum is held by the Brazil Africa Institute and relies on support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. “Agriculture was picked as the theme because it is the best opportunity for dialogue and deal-making involving Brazil and the African continent,” says the institute’s president João Bosco Monte.
Monte adds that the government of Brazil is rolling out technical cooperation projects via its Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), an arm of the Foreign Ministry, and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in countries such as Togo, Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique and Angola. The projects mostly involve technology transfer and have helped in develop the farming of yucca, beans and cotton.
He stresses that the transfer of soil management techniques is also proving important in the partnership between Brazil and the African countries. “Not only do we pass on our technology, we also show how to use it. It helps a lot to have a technician who knows when it’s time to plant and when it’s time to harvest,” he exemplifies.
The Brazil Africa Institute president notes that in parts of Brazil, like the Northeast, the soil and the weather are similar to those of African countries, and that is why governments and private companies in Africa seek to mirror Brazil in developing their agriculture. “The African savannah is very similar to Brazil’s cerrado, the executive points out.
Monte goes on to mention private sector initiatives, including the likes of Kepler Weber, a manufacturer of grain storage silos active in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, and machinery makers that developed equipment specifically for Brazil that they now export to African countries.
At the event, the African Development Bank president will also cover financing to agricultural projects. Monte said he heard from Adesina that “Brazil’s agricultural framework is what African countries must pursue.”
According to Monte, 300 people are expected to attend the forum, between executives, ministers and authorities. “We are hoping to see a high-level forum, and that in its wake we’ll see follow-through actions, because that’s what we’re interested in,” he ponders.
The executive also says that a Program for Technical Training of Africans in Brazil will be launched. Its purpose is to bring people from African countries to Brazil to get training in agriculture, technology, healthcare and management. Monte claims the training costs will be met by a fund that is yet to be established through donations from domestic and international organizations. The action is set to start in the second half of 2017, and the fund is expected to raise USD 2 million in its first year.
Other prominent speakers will be Daniel Balabán, the director of the Centre of Excellence Against Hunger; Paulo Speller, secretary-general of the Organization of Ibero-American States; Issad Rebrab, CEO of Algeria’s Cevital group; and Michel Alaby, CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber, who will moderate one of the events’ panels.
Quick facts
4th Brazil Africa Forum
November 3 and 4
Where: Itaipu Technological Park (PTI), Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Registration will be open until the date of the event at www.forumbrazilafrica.com/inscreva-se-ja
The full program is available at www.forumbrazilafrica.com/programacao
The cost for the general public is BRL 1,500. Admission is free for students, with prior registration required
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
