São Paulo – The Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade will organize a government and entrepreneurial mission to Sudan from December 6th to 9th. The decision was made during a meeting between the Brazilian minister Miguel Jorge and the Arab country’s minister of Foreign Relations, Ali Ahmed Karti, in the Brazilian capital Brasília this week.
"It will be an official mission to hold talks with the Sudanese Ministry of Finance, and we will have entrepreneurs who are truly interested in investing in the country. This will be the first time that a government mission will take businessmen to Sudan," Karti told ANBA during a visit to the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce headquarters this Friday (26th).
The minister was accompanied by a government delegation, plus the Sudanese ambassador to Brasília, Abd Elkarim, and the Brazilian ambassador to Sudan, Antônio Carlos do Nascimento Pedro. They werer welcomed by the Arab Brazilian Chamber’s Foreign Relations vice-president, Helmi Nasr, and the organization’s Foreign Trade vice-president, Wladimir Freua.
"It should be a sectorial mission, with some government organizations interested in establishing closer partnership ties with Sudan and some companies that have already expressed interest in going on the mission. They may be in the agricultural industry, the infrastructure construction industry or other industries in which Brazilian investment in Sudan may be increased," explained Pedro. "There is a framework of great investment opportunities, of presence, of trade, and these must be seized," finished off the ambassador.
Brazil already maintains important partnerships with Sudan in agriculture. To the Sudanese minister, this is one of the factors that made businessmen interested in taking part in the mission.
"We have been successful in the ethanol industry, which is a cooperative action between Sudan and Brazil, and we have also been successful in implementing a cotton farm ran by a Brazilian enterprise. We have also got other companies bidding for construction works, such as the International Khartoum Airport, which is a major project, and one of the main bidders for this tender is a Brazilian company, Odebrecht," said Karti.
The minister also informed that he is interested in bringing further Brazilian companies into his country. According to him, Sudan holds great promise for companies operating with livestock and agricultural products. After visiting the Arab Brazilian Chamber, the minister was going to meet Embraer executives to discuss the possibility of purchasing aircraft for spraying chemicals.
In January, Sudan will hold a referendum to decide whether the country will be divided in two, by separating North and South. According to Karti, the government expects the country to remain united.
"Of course we are hoping for unity in the referendum, but whatever the people decide, be it for unity or the establishment of two different States, we are going to respect the outcome, especially because it will be the result of a free, legitimate election."
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
