After the abolition of slavery in 1888 and throughout the 20th century, Africa figured relatively little on Brazil's foreign policy agenda , which primarily focused on relations with global powers such as the United States. European states and countries. This pattern began to change significantly in the early 2000s, when Brazil's improving macroeconomic situation coincided with Africa's economic recovery. The turning point undoubtedly occurred during the mandate of former President Lula (2003-2010). Ignoring historical links and cultural similarities, Lula's speech was often based on frameworks such as: "repaying the debt of solidarity with the African continent, due to centuries of slavery was based on the sweat and blood of millions of people." 'Africans' and the need to stop focusing on developed powers, in order to 'unite the voices of the Global South' (Veja, 2012). Since Lula came to power in 2003, the number of Brazilian embassies in Africa has doubled, from 18 to 37, while African embassies in Brasilia have increased from 16 to 34. In addition, Lula has carried out a total of 28 presidential visits to the African continent, covering 21 countries and reaching record levels. (Alves, 2013). Although most Brazilian cooperation is directed to Central and South America due to peacekeeping operations, technical cooperation is focused on the African continent, which represents 57% of the total (ABC , 2011): Source: ABC, 2011 As reported in the latest official information from 2011, technical cooperation projects were being designed or implemented in 38 of the 54 African countries (ABC, 2011). Concerning the main beneficiaries of Brazilian cooperation in Africa, the Portuguese-speaking African countries...... middle of paper ......surplus with most African countries, with the exception of Nigeria, explained by heavy oil imports (Alves, 2013). At the same time, investment funds are seeking to raise funds to enable an increase in Brazilian investments in Africa. In this sense, the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV Projects) aims to raise funds of approximately $1 billion for the development of agricultural projects. DWS Investments, a manager owned by Germany's Deutsche Bank, coordinates the fund. Separately, in June 2012, BTG Pactual, Brazil's largest investment bank, also announced plans to raise $1 billion and create a "global" investment fund in Africa, in areas such as infrastructure, energy and agriculture. ties between Brazil and Africa have also been strengthened by the numerous presidential visits to the continent, creating business opportunities..