| Follow us on:
|
![[AP]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dilma-rousseff-300x169.jpg)
This is the third Africa trip in a year for the Brazilian president [AP]
“President Rousseff is travelling to participate in the commemoration and to reaffirm the close links Brazil has established with Africa in the last decade”, said foreign minister Antonio Patriota.
President Rousseff will be joining around ten select non-African partners of the 54-member grouping invited for the historic event.
Foreign dignitaries expected to attend the gathering include US secretary of state John Kerry and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative, vice premier Wang Yang.
Patriota announced during a recent seminar on Brazil-Africa relations that BRICS will soon formalise the creation of a development bank to promote credit and investments in the less developed countries.
The minister said many African countries are interested in the bank since it would offer ‘more attractive conditions’ than those from multilateral financial institutions.
Brazil has cooperation programmes with dozens of African nations focusing on agriculture, health, bio-fuels, oil and gas, environment, trade and education.
This is the third Africa trip in a year for the Brazilian president – Rousseff attended the BRICS Summit in Durban in March earlier this year.
Patriota said Brazil has a ‘strategic interest’ in the continent.
With inputs from Agencies
