Local trade mission to go on follow-up visit to Brazil

ECONOMIC relations between Namibia and Brazil are set to be boosted after a Brazilian delegation recently visited the country to explore business opportunities.

The more than 10-men strong delegation went around the country establishing contacts and meeting with local businesspeople and companies involved mainly in the areas of tourism, minerals, telecommunication, general trade, textile, civil construction, hygienic products, car spare parts, mineral screening and reinsurance. The Brazilians visited Windhoek, Oshakati, Oshikango and Walvis Bay, where they met the business fraternity in those areas and discussed possible mutual beneficial business ventures.In Oshikango, the trade mission visited the Export Processing Zone park and also had an opportunity to look at cross-border trading taking place between Namibia and Angola.Executive Director of the Namibia Investment Centre, Bernadette Artivor, said the visit was on the overall fruitful adding that although nothing concrete was signed yet, feedback on the visit had been positive encouraging.She said such missions were for the betterment of the economy in that Namibia would be able to source for goods directly – at low costs- from Brazil with no middlemen involved.The Brazilians were said to have shown immense interest in tourism, general trading and manufacturing of spare car parts.She said her organisation was currently working on putting in place a trade mission that would visit Brazil early next year.The reciprocal follow-up visit would ensure that local businesses also have interactive meetings with prospective business partners while assessing Brazilian investors.As a result of the Brazilian visit, one local company has already dispatched a representative to the South America country to look at possibilities of imports from there.Meanwhile a Chinese business delegation made up of six geological and mining experts, is expected in the country this month following a visit by two companies’ representatives last month who had come to understanding Namibia’s mining policies.The Brazilians visited Windhoek, Oshakati, Oshikango and Walvis Bay, where they met the business fraternity in those areas and discussed possible mutual beneficial business ventures.In Oshikango, the trade mission visited the Export Processing Zone park and also had an opportunity to look at cross-border trading taking place between Namibia and Angola.Executive Director of the Namibia Investment Centre, Bernadette Artivor, said the visit was on the overall fruitful adding that although nothing concrete was signed yet, feedback on the visit had been positive encouraging.She said such missions were for the betterment of the economy in that Namibia would be able to source for goods directly – at low costs- from Brazil with no middlemen involved.The Brazilians were said to have shown immense interest in tourism, general trading and manufacturing of spare car parts.She said her organisation was currently working on putting in place a trade mission that would visit Brazil early next year.The reciprocal follow-up visit would ensure that local businesses also have interactive meetings with prospective business partners while assessing Brazilian investors.As a result of the Brazilian visit, one local company has already dispatched a representative to the South America country to look at possibilities of imports from there.Meanwhile a Chinese business delegation made up of six geological and mining experts, is expected in the country this month following a visit by two companies’ representatives last month who had come to understanding Namibia’s mining policies.