Isaura Daniel*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Saudi Arabia wants Brazilian companies to participate in their industrial cities Jubail and Yanbsu. The adjunct general director for Investment and Development at the Royal Commission, Mohammed Saad Al-Jurais, who is in charge of the industrial cities project, is now in Brazil to invite Brazilian companies to become part of the project. He is a member of a delegation comprised of 16 Saudi businessmen, which will participate today (22), until late afternoon, in business roundtables at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in the southeastern Brazilian city of São Paulo.
According to Al-Jurais, the industrial cities offer opportunities not just for large companies, but also for medium and small-sized ones. He stated that Brazilian companies might participate in the projects by offering, for instance, engineering services, specialised services, and equipment. He said that it would be important to send a mission of Brazilian businessmen to Saudi Arabia as well, so they could get to know the industrial cities. According to Al-Jurais, becoming closer is the only path for investments to be made.
Al-Jurais believes that this is the beginning of a relation that might evolve a lot in terms of investment. He says that companies from other countries already participate in the industrial cities, but Brazil would be an important partner, because it is a growing economy. The two industrial cities currently involve 259 companies for operations, 93 for construction, and 83 for projects. The cities have received US$ 109 billion in investment so far. Saudi Arabia is planning to expand the industrial cities.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
