SOUTH: Brazil starts Africa initiative why old world struggles

Brazil

is launching a top-level drive to expand its economic ties with Africa, a sign of how crises in the rich world are pushing faster-growing emerging economies to trade and invest among themselves.

Brazil's overall trade with Africa has quadrupled since 2002

to $20.6 billion last year, compared to its $82 billion trade with the European Union

President Dilma Rousseff

The new initiative, ordered by President Dilma Rousseff after her three-country trip to Africa last month, comes as nervousness grows in Brazil over the impact in the coming months of Europe's debt crisis and lurch toward recession.

6% growth Africa more than Asia

in contrast, the eight most promising emerging economies in sub-Saharan Africa, not including South Africa, have grown by an average of 6.6 percent per year over the past decade, according to Deutsche Bank. That is about the same rate as the BRIC group of big emerging countries Brazil, Russia, India and China and faster than emerging Asian economies.

"Africa Group"

Rousseff ordered the creation of an "Africa Group" this month led by her trade and industry minister, Fernando Pimentel

Mining Agriculture

Africa taps Brazilian firms' expertise in mining, oil exploration and tropical agriculture.

BRAZIL'S TRUMP CARD - BEING NICE

Chinese firms have been accused of flouting worker safety laws in some African nations and have also been criticized for importing Chinese workers rather than hiring locally.

"Brazilian companies have a good image in Africa

Brazil's shared Portuguese language with countries like Angola and Mozambique

Embrapa, Brazil's agriculture research agency,

has operations in four African countries where it is transferring its technology and expertise in raising crop yields that helped turn Brazil into a tropical farming powerhouse.

source: reuters.com