São Paulo – Arab businessmen met with the governor of Bahia, Jaques Wagner, on Wednesday (12), in Abu Dhabi, showing interest in Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects for the construction of the metro in state capital Salvador. The information was disclosed by the press department at the State Secretariat for Urban Development (Sedur).
As announced by ANBA, Wagner was on a delegation abroad to seek foreign investment for construction and operation of 24.2 kilometres of line 2 of the metro in the capital city of Bahia state. The state’s delegation visited Spain, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
The meeting with 40 Arab businessmen took place at Yas Island Hotel, in the capital city of the Gulf country. Apart from Wagner, the presentation also included Cícero Monteiro, Urban Development secretary in the state, João Mendonça Lima, ambassador of Brazil in Abu Dhabi, Paulo Guimarães, the superintendent of the Industry, Trade and Mining Secretariat, and Eduardo Copello, head at the Sedur.
"According to Copello, investors showed significant interest in the Public Private Partnership for the metro and sought more information about the legal and economic specifications of the project,” said a spokesperson for Sedur. The value of the Salvador Mertro project is R$ 3.5 billion.
After the metro presentation, the Bahia state governor’s delegation met with representatives of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, a state-owned bank established in 1968 that is present in 12 countries.
According to the Sedur press statement, the bank executives "showed interest in investment opportunities in PPP infrastructure projects and stated the possibility of establishing a bank branch in Brazil.”
*Translated by Mark Ament
