São Paulo – The honorary consul of Brazil in Union of the Comoros’ capital Moroni, Djamil Mahamoud wants to enhance trade ties between the two countries and attract Brazilian investment into the Arab archipelago country in Africa. He is currently in Brazil, travelling alongside the Comorian delegation slated to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, and to meet with local business executives. This Monday (1), Mahamoud visited the offices of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo.
“This is my first time in Brazil. I am here to introduce myself to the country, in the capacity of honorary consul in the Union of the Comoros, to accompany the delegation in the Olympic Games, and to discuss opportunities for partnerships and for increasing trade,” said Mahamoud, who was appointed for the position approximately a year ago. He was welcomed to the Arab Chamber offices by CEO Michel Alaby, Government Relations manager Tamer Mansour, International Business executive Fernanda Baltazar, and senior Market Intelligence analyst Marcus Vinícius. He was accompanied by the business owner Magoma Hamidani.
Apart from an increase in dealmaking, Mahamoud said Comoros needs investment, and Brazilian enterprises could be the ones to do it. One of the areas that need investing the most is infrastructure, the consul said. “We have net a few infrastructure companies that are active in nearby countries such as Mozambique, and we heard good things about them,” he claimed. This Tuesday (2) he will be Curitiba, Paraná for a meeting with a company specializing ni solid waste management and power generation projects.
Trade numbers between Brazil and the Comoros are still timid. In 2015, Brazil exported US$ 870,000 worth of goods to the Arab country, half the amount sold in 2014. Beef was the top-selling product. Conversely, Brazil imported USD 30,000 worth of vegetable oils and spices. One of the products, ylang-ylang flower oil, is used in cosmetics manufacturing.
“We could also export peppers, spices and the aromatic essences that are found in plants in some of the islands,” the consul said. To the Arab Chamber facilities, the consul brought samples of vanilla, another product made in his country, and a wooden stand for the Koran that was hand-built by Comorian artisans.
After going to Curitiba, Mahamoud will attend the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (5) alongside the Comoros vice president Jafar Ahmad. He said the meeting at the Arab Chamber could fuel dealmaking with Brazil. “It was an introductory meeting, but very productive nonetheless. I believe we will be able to increase our trade, and we are planning on having a delegation of Brazilian business executives visit us and see the opportunities our country has to offer,” he said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
