Rio’s Witzel Wants to Attract International Investors to State

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – International investors are still weary of investing in projects in Rio de Janeiro stated the state’s governor-elect, Wilson Witzel on Monday. According to Witzel, one of his goals after taking office is to carry out public-private partnerships (PPPs) to attract new investments to Rio.

“International investors see Rio de Janeiro as a hostile environment due to legal uncertainty. We want to establish an honest, direct and frank dialogue with the business community,” said the governor-elect during a luncheon with members of the Business Leaders (Lide) at the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel.

Among the sectors to enter into the partnerships are projects in urban mobility and infrastructure, stated Witzel.

For the governor-elect, bringing back credibility is one of his priorities. “The governor is in prison, the ex-governor is in prison, it is a very big strain for our state,” he said.

As for security, the governor-elect also promised to increase the number of police officers, possibly hiring retired officers, and extend the ‘Seguridade Presente’ (Security Present) program to other locations in the city of Rio, including Tijuca, Ipanema and Leblon.

For Witzel, 2019 will be a year of adjustments, both economically and politically. “Rio de Janeiro needs a shock of ethics,” he concluded during the meeting.

Going against what most politicians state, the new governor-elect said that Rio state does not want to be a ‘partner of the business community’.

“What we want is not to get in the way, we want to help, to make the state solve the demands,” concluded the official.