The director of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, Daniel Balaban, participated in the Brazil Africa Forum 2025, held on 4 and 5 November in São Paulo. The meeting, organised by the Brazil Africa Institute (IBRAF), brought together governments, experts, the private sector and international organisations to discuss sustainable agriculture, food security and sovereignty, innovation and green financing.
In his speech, Balaban highlighted the trajectory of Brazilian public policies, such as school feeding and support for family farming, which have been adapted and replicated in African countries, strengthening South-South cooperation and promoting more inclusive and resilient food systems.
‘Brazil has the experience, productive capacity and diversity to drive solutions that combine the fight against hunger with sustainability. Solid public policies provide a legal basis and predictability for the private sector to invest, scale up and innovate with confidence. The challenge is to ensure that production reaches people and contributes to fairer and more resilient food systems,’ he said.
Partnership Officer Igor Carneiro also represented the Centre of Excellence during the forum.
The 2025 edition took place at the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel and focused on food security and sovereignty, energy transition, bioeconomy and innovation, reinforcing alliances between Brazil and the African continent.
Interview with CNBC
After participating in the event, Daniel Balaban gave a live interview at the CNBC studios in São Paulo, where he highlighted Brazil’s potential to lead the global food security agenda with sustainable, low-carbon solutions.
He pointed out that the country has unique conditions to integrate agricultural production, bioeconomy, environmental preservation and social policies, and that the great challenge is to transform production into real access to food through public-private coordination and shorter supply chains.