Joint studies to identify business opportunities between Petrobras and Norwegian oil industry suppliers are currently underway, after a frame agreement signed late last month between Norway’s Export Credit Agency (GIEK) and the Brazilian petroleum giant.

It’s Monday mid-day and football practice is about to begin at the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Leme. 18-year-old Anderson Alves Brito comes out of the dressing room with a black and white uniform, matching football shoes and knee-high black socks. Ice water, vitamin C and bananas await him – a minor motivation for a young man who goes to practice for four hours every day. He belongs to a football club called Karanba, which aims to educate people and create social progress through sports. [...]

The first time Dagrun Weglo Bye came to Brazil, she recalls holding her purse tightly while walking in the neighborhood of Leblon. “I get a good laugh now, because I thought it was dangerous everywhere,” says Bye. Four months have passed since her family moved from Norway’s coastal city of Molde to Rio de Janeiro. She knows now there’s no reason to be afraid, but it took some time before she let down her guard. (read more…)

Johnar Olsen is the new chairman of the Norwegian Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. He’s also the president of Scana do Brasil Industrias Ltda – a Norwegian company servicing the marine, energy and steel industries. A mechanical engineer, Olsen previously worked for Aker Solutions and Instok. By looking at him you’d think he’s a Norwegian expatriate working in Rio de Janeiro, but he isn’t. (read more…)