São Paulo- With the growth of 7.5% in 2010, Sudan aims to attract Brazilian investment. Brazil aims to increase its trade relations with the Arab country in several sectors, like civil construction, for example. These topics were discussed during the meeting between businessmen from both countries on Sunday (6), in Khartoum, in an event promoted by the Federation of Sudanese Businessmen Association. This information was disclosed by the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby.
The meeting included the participation of 12 Sudanese businessmen, as well as the Brazilian ambassador to Khartoum, Antônio Carlos do Nascimento Pedro, the business attaché at the Brazilian embassy, Krishna Mendes Monteiro, and Brazilian businessmen in the country participating in Khartoum International Fair, which ends on Wednesday (9).
Alaby pointed out that Ahmad Sid Ahmed Hassan, a member of the board at the Federation of Sudanese Businessmen Association, stressed the perspectives for growth of his country, despite the separation of its territory into two parts.
"Hassan said that the forecasts are for the growth of Sudan in 2011 to be between 6.5% and 8% and, despite the separation of the country, he believes that there should be opportunities for investment and foreign trade, both in the North and in the South," explained the secretary general.
"Ambassador Pedro spoke about the Brazilian moment for foreign trade, about trade relations between Brazil and Sudan, business perspectives for both countries and the constant visits of delegations from Brazil to Sudan and vice versa," explained Alaby. Among these missions is the trip of a Sudanese committee to Brazil in March for participation in fairs Feicon-Batimat and Revestir, in civil construction. In this period, Sudanese companies may count on the support of the Arab Brazilian Chamber for the booking of business meetings.
In another meeting, which counted on 70 businessmen from countries in Africa and the Middle East, apart from the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, two Brazilian companies, the secretary general at the Ministry of Investment of Sudan, Mohamed Abdel Razig Abdel Aziz, presented the main points of legislation on foreign investment in Sudan and its strategic objectives, which include food safety, the development of exports and opportunities for economic growth of the country.
Aziz also presented a vast list of sectors to which Sudan aims to attract investment, like agriculture and industrialized food, logistics and the food cooling chain, hydroelectric and biogas energy generation and tourism, as well as infrastructure, like the construction of highways, bridges, basic sanitation and coastwise transportation, among others.
The fair
On Saturday (5) and Sunday (6), the Arab Brazilian Chamber stand received over 2,000 visitors, mostly interested in Grandene shoes. The stand also includes BRFoods, which owns brands Sadia and Perdigão, in the food sector, Kepler Weber, which produces silos, Jumil, of agricultural equipment, Irriger, which develops irrigation projects and a chemical engineer interested in introducing to Sudan production of ecological bricks.
Among the most important contacts made at the stand are those with Fathi Abu Elgasim Mustafa, the general manager of company Green Revolution for Agriculture, who spoke to the Kepler Weber representatives and to Jumil, Omer Marzoug, general manager at the Arab Sudanese Nile Agricultural Co.Ltd., who is responsible for the granting of land in Sudan for soy cultivation by Pinesso Group, from Mato Grosso do Sul. The executive was invited to visit the group’s plantation in Brazil.
*Translated by Mark Ament
