São Paulo – Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, the advisor for environmental affairs and petroleum of Ajman, in the United Arab Emirates, will come to Brazil to discuss projects and business opportunities in clean energy, and to speak on the importance of preserving natural resources.
He should arrive in the country on June 13th and will attend his first official appointments on the following day. The sheikh will be received by the mayor of Canoas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Jairo Jorge, and the secretary of state for the Environment, Jussara Cony. According to Daniela Ernest, advisor to the Muslim bank Makaseb, responsible for Al Nuaimi’s visit to Brazil, Jussara will present environmental preservation projects underway in Rio Grande do Sul, including wind energy. The contact between Canoas and the United Arab Emirates began in 2009, as the mayor of the city visited the Gulf country and attended meetings at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of industry and Commerce.
Daniela claims that the sheikh is also interested in biodiesel and solar energy projects. ”he is looking for partnerships in project development, such as technological parks that involve business incubators for developing (environmental) software,” she said. The development of technological projects for the use of clean energy will also be the subject of the meeting between the sheikh and state governor gaúcho, Tarso Genro, scheduled for the 14th.
Muslim centre
On Thursday (15th), Al Nuaimi will go to Brasília, where he will be received at the Chamber of Deputies by its president Marco Maia. According to Daniela, the sheikh should give thanks to the deputy, who was born in the state, for his ongoing support to the Palestinian community in Rio Grande do Sul and to his projects in the state. The sheikh is involved in the construction of of a Muslim centre in the city of Canoas, in a two-hectare plot donated by the City Hall. The centre will include a mosque, a school, a library, a convention centre and a multi-purpose sports court.
The first phase of the project, the building of the mosque, will cost 5 million Brazilian reals (US$ 3.1 million), an amount that is being raised by the Makaseb among Arab investors such as the Egyptian company EgyBelg, among others, says Daniela. Works should start in the second half this year. The school, which will be built in the second phase, will offer classes to students in the Arab community and to poor children, from the first through the fifth year of primary school, and will also teach the Muslim religion and foreign languages such as Arabic and English. The library should include religious study books and Arab literature.
A noteworthy fact regarding the Muslim centre’s construction is that its project was conceive as a green building, meaning that it be eco-friendly and have low carbon emissions. The project was supported by Al Nuaimi.
Green business
According to Daniela, Al Nuaimi will also give two lectures in Canoas, one for students and the other for businessmen. To the businessmen, Al Nuaimi will talk about eco-friendly projects being developed in Ajman. “He will also highlight the importance of enterprises not polluting, he will raise the awareness of businessmen,” she says. According to the consultant, executives from companies such as Petrobras, Brasken and Ventos do Sul were invited.
The event for students will be attended by environmental engineering students and will tackle the importance of preserving the environment for future generations. Al Nuaimi will also attend meetings with the Muslim community in Rio Grande do Sul. The sheikh will leave Brazil on Sunday.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
