Brazil?s USD 526 Billion Strategic Investment Program Opens Lucrative Opportunities for Arab Investors

The Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade has brought to Dubai a delegation of 85 business leaders headed by Mauricio Borges, President of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), on a mission to attract foreign investors for high-profile projects in Brazil, including the Logistics Investment Program, that will draw USD 526 billion in investments for various projects beginning 2013. The Brazilian delegation, representing 14 Brazilian states, is taking part in the 3rd Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), which runs from April 30 to May 02 in Dubai under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Apex-Brasil has booked a 180-square meter exhibition stand for the participating Brazilian enterprises to conduct special presentations about the Brazilian Government’s foreign investment program and to showcase their projects during AIM, which is organized under the theme "A Future International Economic Landscape in the Making, Implications on FDI and the Economic Growth Prospects in Emerging & Frontier Markets". The key sectors that are expected to offer a wide range of business and investment opportunities to Arab investors include transportation concessions, aeronautics, biotechnology, ICT, infrastructure development, tourism, real estate, biofuels, and oil and gas.

Mauricio Borges, President of Apex-Brasil, said: “There is growing global interest in various investment prospects in Brazil and this constitutes a strong vote of confidence in the strength and long-term potential of the Brazilian economy. Moreover, the Middle East region will play a very important role in Brazil’s mission to attract foreign investments because of Brazil’s excellent track record as a long-term trade and economic partner of various Arab countries, particularly the UAE. The participation of high-profile Brazilian government officials and business leaders at AIM in Dubai aims to capitalize on the enthusiasm of foreign investors to leverage the immense business opportunities in Brazil as well as the economic incentives being offered by the government. Building on our strategic partnerships and contacts in the Arab world, Apex-Brasil is playing a major role in establishing connections between the Brazilian delegation and Arab investors through one-to-one meetings to promote various Brazilian projects and investment prospects.”

The Brazilian Government’s Logistics Investment Program, which is one of the key projects being showcased at the AIM event, is a strategic investment program that builds on strategic partnerships with the private sector. The Brazilian Logistics Program focuses on investments in toll roads, railway concessions, port terminals, airport concessions and high speed rail covering an estimated investment of USD 121 billion. Biddings will be carried out during 2013 and foreign investors are more than welcome to join. More information can be found on the website of the Program: http://www.epl.gov.br/logistics-brazil.

Apex-Brasil is also leading discussions at the AIM event focusing on the investment climate in Brazil, including the country’s strong and transparent regulatory framework in the areas of concessions and public-private partnerships as well as modern and well-structured financial intermediation institutions.

Aside from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations is also being represented at AIM. The Brazilian states that have sent representatives are Alagoas, Amazonas, Roraima, Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro, Federal District, Tocantins, Bahia, São Paulo, Paraná, Maranhão, Goiás, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte and Pará.