Mozambique recently offered Brazilian farmers 15 million acres of farmland at a symbolic price to be used for the production of soy, corn and cotton. In an email interview, Adriana de Queiroz, an executive coordinator at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) who writes in a personal capacity, discussed Brazil-Africa relations.
WPR: What are the main countries and sectors for Brazilian investment in Africa?
Adriana De Queiroz: Brazilian companies have been investing mainly in mining, infrastructure and oil and gas in Africa. A significant proportion of this investment has been in Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Angola and Mozambique. Brazilian companies are especially active in Angola, where a Brazilian company is the largest private employer in activities including food and ethanol production and real estate for business, industrial plants and supermarkets. Brazilian infrastructure companies have been working on projects including power plants, roads and highways, ports and airports, real estate in the residential and business sectors and shopping centers. New investments and joint ventures with African and European companies acting in Africa in the agribusiness -- cotton, soy and sugarcane -- mining, infrastructure, cement and financial and banking sectors have also been observed.