Lula hosts meeting with the president of leading maritime cargo carrier MSC Group

This Monday (22) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hosted a meeting at the Planalto Palace with the president of MSC Group, Diego Aponte, accompanied by Terminal Investment Limited’s (TiL) CEO, Ammar Kanaan; TiL’s director of Terminals and Investments for Central America and South America, Patricio Junior; and the president of MSC Brasil, Elber Alves Justo. President Lula was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Rui Costa; the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho; and the CEO of the Brazilian Service for Support to Micro and Small Enterprises (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas - Sebrae), Décio Lima. The meeting lasted about an hour.

After greeting President Lula, Aponte conveyed a message of affection from his father, Gianluigi Aponte, who founded the company in 1970. Aponte also reported that MSC has operated in Brazil for over 20 years, assuming leadership in the cargo maritime transport sector. He said that the company firmly believes in Brazil's "infinite potential," its large and growing market, institutional stability, and human capital. In this regard, he revealed that Brazil is increasingly assuming a strategic role for the company, which is currently preparing a new investment plan for the country. The plan focuses on modernizing port infrastructure, expanding the cruise sector, and developing new business ventures, including aviation.

President Lula stressed his attempts to promote the development of the internal market to overcome poverty and inequality since his first presidential term; however, many of the constructions and social programs were paralyzed by recent administrations. He mentioned the importance of the New PAC, the Government’s New Growth Acceleration Program. Among the program’s priorities is the development of port infrastructure, to contribute to economic growth that converges with poverty eradication strategies. “We cannot miss another chance of promoting economic growth that can result in improving people’s life conditions; there is no explanation for the fact that we still have hunger in Brazil”, he commented.

Towards the end of the meeting, Lula expressed his appreciation for the company’s bet on Brazil, declaring that the new investments “will certainly bring excellent results.” Aponte reassured MSC’s desire to "make a contribution — however small — for the development goals and strategies to reduce inequalities that you [President Lula] wish for Brazil.”