Assessing and Redefining Policies towards Africa in a New Global Scenario: Intersecting Perspectives between Brazil and Morocco
Sao Paulo, Brazil
In the framework of the analytical partnership between the Center for Integration and Development Studies (CINDES) based in Brazil and OCP Policy Center in Morocco, intended at improving and deepening through research the economic relations between Brazil and Morocco and foster Brazil-Morocco cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa, several research and policy papers have been written by economists and experts. In this context, seminars will be held in Brazil, on july 17th, in order to hold strategic discussions with key economic players from the two continents on the outcomes of the research projects. These Strategic Dialogues aim to be a platform for dialogue and exchange for key Brazilian and Moroccan stakeholders engaged in the development of the African continent, providing elements for discussion on the partnership perspectives between Brazil, Morocco and Africa. It also represents an opportunity to enhance and further these discussions between think tanks committed to bringing a contribution to analyzing regional and international geopolitical dynamics, and for private and public operators to draw from the analyses in order to make informative decisions and draft fact based integration and cooperation policies.
The daylong seminar will be composed of two main policy oriented sessions, involving different audiences.
The morning session will gather policy thinkers, international relations researchers and economists, as well as selected private operators, in order to explore the recent economic evolutions the African continent has experienced this past decade, as well as the geopolitical perspectives and economic opportunities it represents for the Latin American continent, in the spirit of South-South partnerships. It will also present, from the perspectives of Brazilian, Moroccan and Sub-Saharan African key business and policy actors in the African continent, the successfully implemented industrial and trade policies, while exploring avenues and potential for furthering cooperation and investment.
The afternoon session, will gather key Moroccan and Brazilian researchers, policy makers and private actors involved in partnerships and bilateral projects, in order to discuss strategies to improve and to deepen the bilateral economic relations between these two middle income countries.
Consult the seminar program on CINDES website
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Agenda
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09:00 – 09:20 |
Opening Remarks - Carlos Mariani Bittencourt, Director, CNI-National Confederation of Industry |
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Session I: The African Continent: Recent Evolutions and Future Perspectives |
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09:20 – 10:20 |
PANEL I: AFRICA FROM GROWTH TO DEVELOPMENT: WHERE WE STAND? Behind the economic growth is the implementation of better economic and trade policies, fulfilling opportunities of an inclusive growth. Which are the main economic trends in Africa? How can Africa attract more investments, beyond the mining sector, that contribute to inclusive growth? Which are the economic development policies being devised for the continent? And how can these policies shape the global competitiveness of the African territory, while fostering sustainable development? Chair Otaviano Canuto, Executive Director, Board of the World Bank for Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago and Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center Speakers - Moubarack Lo, Chief Economist, Office of the Prime Minister of Senegal and Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center |
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10:20 – 11:30 |
PANEL II: AFRICA’S REMAINING CHALLENGES (Agriculture and Food Security; Industrialization) Chair Roberto Giannetti da Fonseca, President, Kaduna Consulting; President, CEAL-Latin America Business Council; Trustee, CEBRI - AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY Today, agriculture is a major wealth creator in Sub-Saharan African countries, and employs a significant portion of the active population. It has the potential to contribute towards major continental priorities, such as eradicating poverty and hunger, while leveraging on the intra-African complementarities in terms of trade and investments. Speakers In a globalized world where global value chains offer potential for structural transformation, African countries can now integrate into specific value chain sectors, while leapfrogging some steps throughout the process. In this context, how can the integration to value chains boost economic growth and employment? And how can African countries meet the challenge of climbing up value chains ladder? Speakers - Larbi Belarbi, Former CEO, SOMACA |
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11:30 – 11:45 |
Coffee Break |
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11:45 – 12:45 |
POLICY PANEL III : UPDATING BRAZIL’S STRATEGIES TOWARDS AFRICA In the first decade of the Century, Brazil has engaged in a rapprochement with Africa. Beyond the business opportunities, Brazilian foreign policy mobilized a varied set of economic and political instruments aimed at increasing the country’s presence in Sub-Saharan Africa. The inception of the economic and political crises in Brazil, from 2014 onwards, led to a significant contraction of the country’s engagement in the Continent. However, Africa is still relevant for many actors in the foreign policy establishment and in the business sector in Brazil. How to reboost the country’s strategies towards the African continent? This policy panel will aim at exploring potential strategies to a new Brazilian approach towards Africa. Chair Roberto Teixeira da Costa, Member of the Executive Council, CEBRI Speakers - João Almino, Director, ABC-Brazilian Cooperation Agency, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Discussant H.E. Mohamed Methqal, Ambassador, General Director at the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation |
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Session II: Morocco-Brazil Economic Relations: Present Situation and Strategies for a Deeper Relationship |
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14:00 – 14:55 |
PANEL IV: MOROCCO-BRAZIL ECONOMIC RELATIONS: CURRENT SITUATION AND INTERSECTING PERSPECTIVES FOR FURTHER COOPERATION WITH AFRICA Despite the sustained growth in the bilateral trade observed at the beginning of the Century, Moroccan – Brazilian economic relations are still going through what could be called the ‘shallow’ phase of relations between two middle-income countries. During this period, Brazil and Morocco have implemented active and diversified strategies for building relationships with Africa, and more especially the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. This panel will assess the current situation of bilateral economic relations and each country’s strategies towards Sub-Saharan Africa. As Morocco has concentrated on West and Central Africa, and Brazil has mainly engaged with the large Lusophone countries, how both countries can face the challenge of diversification of actors, sectors and partners in the region? Chair Soraya Rosar, Executive Manager, International Negotiations Unit, CNI Speakers - Michel Alaby, Secretary General and CEO of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce |
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14:55 –15:40 |
PANEL V: AGROINDUSTRY, AERONAUTICS, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE: WHAT ARE THE PROMISING SECTORS FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENTS? On the one hand, Morocco aims to build a diversified and market-oriented economy. The country benefits from its proximity to Europe, demographic growth, and investment rates. Key sectors of the economy include agriculture, aerospace, automotive, phosphates, textiles and apparel. On the other, Brazil has a large and competitive agricultural sector. It is the world's third-largest agricultural exporter after the United States and the European Union. It has also developed a diversified and sophisticated industrial sector through an extensive process of industrialization. With this in mind, key private players and experts will explore the promising and innovative sectors for trade and investments between Brazil and Morocco. Chair Larbi Belarbi, Former CEO, SOMACA Speakers - Karim Cheikh, President, Group of Moroccan Aeronautic and Aerospace Industries |
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15:40 – 16:00 |
Coffee Break |
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16:00 –17:00 |
PANEL VI: LOOKING AHEAD: PUBLIC POLICIES TO FOSTER DEEPER INTEGRATION The management of bilateral economic relations by the policy makers seems to follow a ‘business as usual’ model. In the beginning of 2016, both sides began to signalize renewed interest in promoting bilateral economic ties. It seems to be the right moment to deepen the understanding of the existing opportunities and barriers to trade and investment between the two countries, and to explore public policies designed to foster deeper integration on the economic, political and cultural levels. Which policies and instruments could be mobilized by each country to upgrade bilateral relationship? Chair Pedro da Motta Veiga, Director, CINDES Speakers - H.E. Nabil Adghoghi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Federative Republic of Brazil |
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17:00 –17:15 |
Concluding Remarks - Carlos Abijaodi, Director of Development, CNI |
About the Centre for Studies in Integration and Development (CINDES)
Created in March 2006, the Centre for Studies in Integration and Development (CINDES) is a research institute that seeks to contribute to the deepening of the debate about the relations between Brazilian development and its international integration. Since then CINDES has consolidated as a policy-oriented studies centre that analyses Brazilian foreign economic policy, its positions and interests in different negotiation fora, the evolution of the global scenario and its impacts on the country's economy and policies.
Through its studies, research and seminars, CINDES establishes itself as an independent think tank. In our view, Brazil's international insertion should be guided by the following values:
Promotion of an open economic and political international environment, compatible with the sustainable development paradigm; Support for Brazil's growing involvement in issues of global governance and in the international cooperation initiatives focused on the production of global public goods and the consolidation of a multipolar world order; Support for Brazil exercising a responsible leadership in Latin America through the promotion of a broadened economic agenda (trade, investments, infrastructure and climate change); and Defense of human rights and representative democracy.
CINDES works alongside a network of organizations and specialists in Brazil and abroad, developing studies and research lines, organizing seminars and meetings and disseminating information on integration and social and economic development.
http://www.cindesbrasil.org/site/
About the Brazilian Center for International Relations
Independent, non-partisan, and multidisciplinary, the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) is guided by excellence, ethics, and transparency in the formulation and dissemination of high-quality knowledge on the international scenario and Brazil’s role within it. Engaging public and private sectors, academia, and civil society in a pluralistic debate, CEBRI influences the formation of the country’s international agenda and supports the formulation of public policies, generating actions that are both impactful and forward thinking.
Throughout its history, CEBRI has held nearly 500 events, produced more than 200 publications and collaborates with an international network of more than 100 high-level entities on every continent. The Center is distinguished by its intellectual production, ability to bring together various viewpoints from renowned experts, and its prominent Board of Trustees.
Connected to the international agenda, CEBRI identifies and analyzes the most important international issues, promoting engagement between production of knowledge and political action. It acts as a counterpart to strategic global institutions such as the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States, Chatham House in the United Kingdom, and several other international relations councils worldwide.
Its international importance and relevance have been validated by the Global Go to Think Tank Index, compiled by the University of Pennsylvania, which names CEBRI as one of the world’s most important think tanks.
About the National Confederation of Industry
Twenty-seven Industry Federations in the states and Federal District. Over a thousand associated employers unions and almost 100,000 industrial establishments. However professional a company's administration might be, it is always subject to external influences - like obstacles to accessing international markets, taxation changes, labor-related issues and environmental requirements. CNI is the voice of Brazilian Industry, a highly active organization in defense of the productive sector with the mission of defending and representing Industry.
In order to guarantee the existence of an appropriated environment for doing business, CNI ensures that the industrial community actively participates in the formulation of public policies that allow a healthy environment for the development of businesses. Within the sphere of Legislative Affairs, for example, CNI accompanies those proposals that are of interest to the industrial sector being deliberated in the National Congress.
In the sphere of the Judicial Branch, CNI makes sure that the Constitution is properly respected by continuously monitoring laws that directly affect the Industry Sector. CNI activities also involve the Executive Branch and the whole Civil Society permanently evaluating the decisions being made that have a direct impact on the productive sector and watching the political and economic scene which can be divided into important thematic areas, namely: International; Infrastructure; Environment; Micro and Small Businesses; Economy; Labor; Social Responsibility.
Furthermore, with the regular publication of researches, studies’ results and indicators, CNI provides businessmen with the necessary supporting elements for decision making. The Confederation also constantly seeks to establish strategic partnerships aiming at strengthening the Industrial Sector and the country's sustainable growth.
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