April 11, 2025
The second Ethiopia-Brazil Business and Investment Promotion Forum took place on Tuesday (April 8) in São Paulo. It was organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Brazil in collaboration with Wafa Marketing and Promotion.
At the event, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Brazil, Leuleseged Tadesse Abebe, emphasized that the historical relationship between Ethiopia and Brazil should evolve into a strong economic partnership in trade, investment, and tourism. Ambassador Leuleseged highlighted Ethiopia’s openness to business and the ongoing comprehensive economic reforms aimed at attracting investment.
He pointed out that Ethiopia offers numerous incentives for Brazilian businesses and outlined key sectors for investment, including agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, ICT and digital economy, and tourism and hospitality. He urged the Brazilian business community to visit Ethiopia and invest, noting that the daily flight from Addis Ababa to São Paulo presents an opportunity to strengthen business ties between the two countries.
Ambassador Leuleseged also stressed that Ethiopia’s BRICS membership provides a unique opportunity to deepen and diversify economic relations with Brazil.
Ambassador Yohannes Fanta, Director General for Economic Diplomacy at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented Ethiopia’s business priorities, investment opportunities, and the conducive investment climate. He reaffirmed the Ethiopian government’s commitment to collaborating with the Brazilian government and business community to enhance business partnerships and invited Brazilian investors to explore Ethiopia’s opportunities.
Ambassador Antonio Cesar, director of African Affairs at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed Ethiopia’s efforts to strengthen ties in trade, investment, and tourism. He reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to enhancing business relations and mentioned plans to send Brazilian trade and business delegations to Ethiopia in October 2025. He highlighted Ethiopia as one of the best business destinations for Brazilian companies.
Samo Tosatti, Head of International Affairs of the São Paulo State Government, praised Ethiopia’s ongoing economic reforms, which he said have made the country a favorable business destination. He expressed readiness to collaborate with the Ethiopian government to promote business partnerships between Ethiopia and Brazil.
Professor João Bosco Monte, President of the Brazil-Africa Institute, also commended Ethiopia’s economic reforms and emphasized the importance of long-term economic cooperation between Ethiopia and Brazil.
Ethiopian company representatives participated in the event, which included a panel discussion featuring Angela Vidal, Secretary of International Relations at São Paulo City Hall; Renato Solano, Head of the International Desk at Planner Investment; Paulo Pan, Senior Business Advisor for Africa; and Hailu Horji, representing Ethiopian Airlines. Renato Solano emphasized the significant potential of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector and expressed his firm’s interest in investing in agriculture and food security. Rui Mucaje, President of the Afro-Chamber, also urged the Brazilian business community to explore investment opportunities in Ethiopia. The panel was followed by a B2B session that facilitated networking between Ethiopian and Brazilian businesses.
The event attracted over 100 Brazilian business representatives, government officials from Brazil’s federal government, São Paulo State, and São Paulo City Hall, as well as members of various chambers of commerce.
Ambassadors Leuleseged and DG Yohannes invited the Brazilian business community to participate in the upcoming High-Level Business Forum in Addis Ababa, scheduled for May 12-13, 2025.