BahiaInveste has a new director and intends to attract investments to promote sustainability in the state

The Governorship, in the Administrative Center of Bahia, welcomed this Tuesday morning (2) the inauguration of Paulo Guimarães as the new CEO of BahiaInveste, a state-owned mixed economy company, linked to the State Secretariat for Economic Development (SDE). Chief executive Jerônimo Rodrigues participated in the ceremony, which opened with a presentation of the new manager and some initiatives designed for his performance over the next two years.

One of the state-owned company’s priorities will be to attract investments for sustainable development in Bahia. Among BahiaInveste’s prospects will be projects in the areas of renewable energy and bioenergy, incentives for the development of technologies for family farming and the electrification of urban transport.

According to Paulo Guimarães, Bahia’s potential to lead the transition to a more sustainable world is immense. “We intend to attract a lot of things to the interior of the state. Let’s take this technology to family farmers, to agriculture in western Bahia, so that it can become increasingly sustainable; There is the issue of electric mobility, which is super important, battery production. This universe of things is what will make Bahia a clean, green state, with products with a low carbon footprint, making the contribution we need to the climate emergency”, said the new manager about areas in which investments should be made.

The governor stressed the need to attract new businesses to Bahia and also strengthen existing ones, generating jobs and improving GDP. “Our expectation is to put into practice what is planned in the government program for the next three years, together with the document that guides state development planning, which projects Bahia in 30 years. This means responsibility for sustainability, which concerns both social and environmental issues and cultural values. These are the potentials for those who are going to invest, such an asset!”, evaluated the chief executive.

BahiaInveste’s activities will range from education to culture and tourism with the theme of sustainability. The use of oilseeds, corn and sugar cane to produce renewable fuels and green hydrogen, including the reduction of pesticides and expanding access to new technologies for family farming, are among the initiatives. Some projects are already in dialogue with programs being implemented by the State, such as Bahia+Verde and Replantar, linked to the Secretariat of the Environment (Sema).

Profile of Paulo Guimarães – Paulo Guimarães is a chemical engineer from the Federal University of Bahia (1982), a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the State University of Campinas (1991) and a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Leeds, England (1995).

In the Government of Bahia, since 2009, he has been superintendent of attracting investments and promoting economic development. He has already worked in the role at the Secretariat of Industry, Commerce and Mining (SICM) and, before taking over BahiaInveste, at the Secretariat of Economic Development (SDE). He also follows the topic of green hydrogen, as head of the State Commission for the Green Hydrogen Economy Program Plan, since March 2022.