Business Council eyes more Portuguese products in local market

The Portuguese Business Council (PBC) is working to expand the footprint of Portuguese products in the local market, an official has said.
PBC chairman Francisco Miguel De Sousa made the statement during a community group celebration held Saturday at the Portuguese embassy in Qatar where ambassador Paulo Neves Pocinho received different members of the community.
Aside from Sousa, PBC’s new management includes Carlos Xavier, vice-president, Entreprise Relations; Fernando Antunes, treasurer; and Manuel Ramalho, vice-president, Institutional Relations.
In a shared statement, PBC officials said: “The Portuguese Business Council believes in the importance of increasing the share of Portuguese products and services in the local market and the promotion of the activities of Portuguese companies.
“The council provides an informal networking platform through which companies can develop their businesses, in addition to promoting participation in various local and international trade fairs and forums organised in Qatar. All Portuguese or foreign companies, as well as citizens and residents in Qatar, can be part of this institution.”
Sousa said PBC was established in Qatar in 2016 and aims to raise bilateral relations between Portugal and Qatar, mainly in the economic and cultural fields, offering support and help to relevant organisations of both countries.
Similarly, the Portuguese community initiative, ‘Gente da nossa terra’, or ‘People of our land’, recently started to bring the Portuguese expat community in Qatar together by organising social and cultural events with the support of the embassy.
Paulo Neves Pocinho, ambassador of the Portuguese embassy in Qatar, who assumed his role just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, said: “Since I started my duties in the State of Qatar, I have had the opportunity to witness your dynamism, youth, and energy, starting with the enormous and fervent support you gave to the national team during the World Cup, which made me very proud as a Portuguese citizen and as an ambassador. The leadership and organisational skills demonstrated at that moment were certainly the germ of what began to be born next.
“This sparked a desire to get to know the Portuguese community in Qatar. The role of Portuguese fans of Qatar during the World Cup and the new initiative Gente da nossa terra and the Portuguese Business Council in helping each other to organise and promote initiatives together has tremendous potential”.
Ana Teixeira of Gente da nossa terra said, “There are many ideas that we would like to put into practice. Step by step, we will try to boost initiatives in favour of our community interaction. Festive dates, workshops, and cultural activities are some of the examples.”