Brazilian mission with 90 businesspeople to search business in North Africa
Valor Econômico - 01/22/2009
North Africa is back on the radar of companies and Government next week, when the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade will visit Libya, with a party of 90 businesspeople and directors of business associations which will also visit Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. "We want to sell and have the companies make direct contacts, and explore investment opportunities", says the Minister of Development, Miguel Jorge. As usual in the relations with African countries, the most interested parties are the Brazilian building companies, but there are executives of 10 sectors taking part in the mission to Africa, among them, executives of the food sector and of the sector of defense equipment. One of the biggest bets of the Brazilian Government is the dispute of Odebrecht and Atech with Russian and Chinese companies for the construction of the Center for Weapon Research and Technology of the Algerian Ministry of Defense, an investment of US$ 1.6 billion. "With the crisis, we have to diversify the markets and Africa triggers our interest", commented the executive-secretary of the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq), Mário Mugnaini, one of the members of the commercial mission that accompanies Miguel Jorge. The capital goods sector exports little to these countries, and the greatest market is Libya, with only US$ 30 million in imports last year, followed by Algeria (US$ 18 million). The sector sees possibilities to sell agricultural equipment, equipment for the construction of roads and for oil industry, said the executive. The infrastructure projects in all these countries cause strong interest in Brazilian building companies, like Andrade Gutierrez and Odebrecht, which already have contracted works with some of these governments. Odebrecht is building the third beltway of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, an investment of US$ 250 million and also the international airport of the capital. Among the companies taking part in the mission, most of them already have businesses with the visited countries, are also Grendene, Random, Sadia and Avibrás. The party will also include directors of the associations of the textile industries, capital goods and chicken producers and exporters.