São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC)’s international office in Dubai turned two years old this Friday (19). It has since helped usher in new dynamics in Brazil’s relations with the Arab countries, based on a closer connection between businesspeople and organizations in both regions. Pictured above are ABCC C-level executives at the international office in 2019.
Upon opening of the international outpost, the Arab Chamber began taking in Arab enterprises as members. This gave these enterprises an edge when it came to supplying as well as sourcing products from the Brazilian market. ABCC president Rubens Hannun explains that having brick-and-mortar facilities in an Arab country was a key step in accepting Arab members.
Additionally, the ABCC had been paying more and more visits to the region, to speak with local businesspeople, institutions, and government officials, and to attend events and discussions that concerned Brazil. “We realized that those visits were opening lots of doors, and that we had to be there. We had a truly great welcome,” says Hannun, who was already the ABCC’s president at that point.
During the crisis wrought by the so-called Operation Weak Flesh in Brazil, ABCC leaders and executives traveled to the Arab countries alongside Brazilian federal government officials to provide clarifications to importers and authorities regarding meat supplies from Brazil. That was one of the occasions on which the need became clear for the organization to be present in the Arab countries in order to engage in two-way dialogue.
“We are the eyes, the ears, and occasionally even the voice of Brazilians in the Arab countries,” argues Hannun, noting that the international expansion also underscored the ABCC’s role as a mouthpiece for Arabs in Brazil. Apart from the ABCC’s office, Brazilian offices in the region include the Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) in Dubai, and the Investe SP office, also in Dubai.
Meeting point
Since its opening in February 20198, the office proved advantageous for other reasons. It became a meeting point for Brazilians traveling to the UAE and nearby countries on business or representing Brazilian associations or the federal, state or local governments. The ABCC makes its facilities available for meetings, conversations and events.
In late 2019, the office hosted a seminar featuring Brazil’s minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Tereza Cristina. It was the first-ever event at the office’s auditorium. In addition to being a speaker at the seminar, Cristina sat down with Arab leaders to discuss agribusiness-related issues.
Amid the uncertainty wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, Arab governments sought out the office to make sure that their food needs would be met. Led by its Dubai staff, the ABCC partnered up with Brazilian organizations to create a strategic committee to meet those needs. The committee is still at work on different segments.
“It’s working. We gradually added resources and personnel at the office. We realize that the more you do, the more the demands come and possibilities open up. The growth is natural,” argues Hannun. The office’s head is the Brazilian-born, UAE-raised Rafael Solimeo and a diverse staff of Brazilians and Arabs. Senior consultant Shaheen Ali Shaheen of the UAE recently joined the office.
Solimeo, who’s helmed the office since its inception, is pleased with the results from these first two years. “We achieved our primary goal of connecting Brazilians and Arabs. The bridge we built between Brazil and the Arab world is a solid one,” he claims. Solimeo asserts that the presence in Dubai has opened doors and created opportunities for Brazilian in the Arab world, and for Arabs in Brazil. According to him, this connection is based on trade and investment, but also on enhanced ties of friendship.
More Arabs
Hannun recalls that when Arab membership was planned out, the ABCC envisioned attracting businesses looking to sell their product in Brazil. Even though that did come to pass, and despite the fact that the ABCC’s stated mission includes helping increase Arab exports to Brazil, many Arabs became members in a bid to find suppliers in Brazil. “We became a channel for buyers who didn’t know how to reach out to Brazilians.”
This tighter connection with Arab businesspeople, the strategic committee, and greater mutual Arab-Brazilian awareness have sown the seeds of diversification of exports from Brazil to the Arab countries. Commodities currently make up the bulk of sales. “We are working not only on commodity sales, but also on higher value-added segments, innovation, technology, new products,” says Solimeo.
According to the ABCC’s president, the international office enables deeper knowledge of local markets. It makes for first-hand awareness of new developments and trends, and it has led to greater participation in events and one-on-one conversations, especially prior to the pandemic. “You learn of opportunities that you wouldn’t find out from afar,” says Hannun.
Two action-packed years
During these two years, the office led or joined numerous actions and activities. It drew closer to global organizations active in the Arab countries; it had meetings with delegates from Arab associations and governments; it supported Brazilian missions to the UAE – including ones from the government of Tocantins and the Jaboatão do Guararapes city hall; it mediated cooperation between Brazilian and Arab organizations; and it brokered agreements between Arab institutions and the ABCC.
The office has also joined projects to support promotion of Brazilian fashion items and Brazilian coffee across the Gulf; it joined school-related events to discuss Brazil; it gave presentations in webinars hosted in Brazil and abroad; it joined trade shows in multiple industries; and much more. Many of these endeavors were carried out in tandem with the Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi. The ABCC’s Dubai office is active in all Arab countries, with primary emphasis on the Arabian Gulf.
In compliance with the local government’s shelter-in-place orders, the office staff shifted to remote work amid the pandemic. Vaccination is underway and in-person activities are resuming in the UAE, and the office has taken on even greater importance for the ABCC. Next week, the staff will attend the Gulfood trade show in Dubai and the Idex defense industry show in Abu Dhabi, where it will assist Arab and Brazilian executives looking to connect and do business.
Upcoming offices
The ABCC is about to take further steps towards internationalization. It has announced upcoming offices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and in Cairo, Egypt. The latter office will cater to the whole African. Hannun intends to have Arab countries in Africa, such as Egypt, become hubs for trade with Brazil, and to have the office drive Brazilian sales to halal markets across the region.
Saudi Arabia is developing on the back of its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. Hannun believes fresh demand for services will create opportunities for Brazilians. He also said being represented in the country is important when it comes to dealing with market issues. The Saudi government recently announced that it will only contract with enterprises with local headquarters starting 2024.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
