Ajman – The emirate of Ajman, which has the smallest area of the seven United Arab Emirates, with 360 square kilometres, is interested in attracting Brazilian companies and establishing partnerships in order to promote its development. A delegation of Brazilian businessmen, coordinated by the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc), visited the emirate on this Sunday (22nd).
“We are seeking partnerships in order to develop a large project here in Ajman. Brazilian companies interested may send us their profiles,” said the general manager of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed Al Hamrani, who received the delegation. According to him, the organization has a project for building an exhibition centre with four pavilions, a hotel, a hospital, and a new head office for the Chamber itself. The project covers a total area of 100,000 square metres.
According to the public relations officer of the organization, Nasser Ibrahim Al Dhafri, one way for Brazilian companies to establish themselves in the emirate is through the Ajman Free Zone, which offers several opportunities and shortcuts.
The emirate, which has a population ranging from 250,000 to 300,000, has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 18 billion and a lower cost of living than Dubai. “Many of the people who work in Dubai live here [in Ajman],” said Dhafri. Housing rental in the emirate, for instance, costs half as much as it does in Dubai.
The public relations officer explains that the Ajman real estate sector remained stable in spite of the crisis. The emirate houses over 700 factory plants and 25,000 commercial establishments. Most of the emirate’s labour force concentrates in the textile industry, but the bulk of investment goes to the chemical and plastic industries. According to Dhafri, the emirate is also home to large companies in the tobacco, food and beverage industries.
The Brazilian delegation, headed by the regional vice president of Fiesc, Waldemar Antônio Schmitz, also visited the Ajman Free Zone. The area comprises 4,000 enterprises, most of which are trading companies, food companies, plastic industry companies, and assembly lines. Most are of Asian origin, from countries such as India, Malaysia and Pakistan.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
