Brazil wants more trade with Africa

Brazil's trade with Africa is still modest compared to its potential, according to the Secretary for Africa and the Middle East of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte. The diplomat spoke on the second day of the 12th Brazil Africa Forum, which took place at the WTC Sheraton, in the capital of São Paulo, last Tuesday (15). After mentioning the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he said it was a great opportunity for the world, for Brazil and for Mercosur. “In 2022, more than two-thirds of Mercosur's exports to Africa went to countries with which the bloc does not have a trade agreement, so there could be a lot of expansion,” he said. According to Duarte, while Brazil has US$22 billion in trade with Africa, India's trade transactions with the continent reach US$100 billion and China's total US$243 billion. “It’s very little, but even so, there are encouraging data and signs,” he said about Africa-Brazil. The diplomat ...