Photo Credit: Brasil 247

NNA News - The New Development Bank (NDB) has approved approximately R23.95 billion in financing operations for Brazil since March 2023, according to its president, Dilma Rousseff, who says the institution is supporting national development priorities in infrastructure, energy and public healthcare. This report is compiled by Brasil 247. 

Rousseff, Brazil's former president, discussed the bank's lending activities and international role in an interview with journalists Leonardo Attuch and Fernando Morais on TV 247, as reported by Brasil 247 on 10 October.

She credited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration with helping identify projects that align with the country's development needs.

“A president who has this commitment makes our work easier. The Lula government seeks projects that genuinely impact development, improve infrastructure and ensure sustainability. The world recognizes Lula's international leadership,” Rousseff said.

Established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the NDB was created to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development in member countries and other emerging economies. Its financing model supports projects proposed in line with borrowers' priorities.

“We respect the sovereignty of countries. Our role is not to tell a nation what it should do, but to support its own priorities with long-term financing and competitive rates,” Rousseff said.

Infrastructure and energy investments

The financing portfolio described by Rousseff includes sanitation projects, flood management, electricity distribution and renewable energy infrastructure.

Among the operations she cited were R$1.1 billion for sanitation in Pernambuco and R$495 million for similar projects in Paraíba. Other investments include R$400 million for flood containment and drainage in Aparecida de Goiânia, alongside further sanitation and urban mobility projects.

In the energy sector, the portfolio includes financing for electricity distribution networks and renewable power infrastructure. One of the projects is the Graça Aranha–Silvânia high-voltage transmission line, designed to connect electricity generated in northeastern Brazil with major consumption centres in the southeast.

The bank's project portfolio also includes Brazil's Smart Hospital initiative, which is intended to integrate advanced digital systems and technology into public healthcare.

The NDB approved a loan of up to US$320 million for the project in December 2025. The facility is planned for São Paulo and will focus on emergency medicine, intensive care and neurology, with digital health systems and training for healthcare professionals. The project is intended to provide a model that could be replicated elsewhere in the public health system.

Rousseff said the initiative reflects an ambition to ensure that technological progress benefits ordinary citizens rather than remaining concentrated in wealthier sections of society.

“SUS is one of the greatest social technologies in the world. With the Smart Hospital, we are proving that the poorest people and workers who depend on public healthcare have the right to the most modern and advanced treatment available on the planet. We will not be mere consumers of technology; we will be producers and multipliers,” she said.

Local currencies and bank expansion

Rousseff also highlighted the importance of financing in local currencies, arguing that it can reduce the risks countries face when borrowing in a currency different from the one in which they generate revenue.

“When you raise funds and lend in local currency, you eliminate the mismatch between revenue and debt,” she said.

The NDB has issued bonds denominated in Chinese yuan, known as Panda bonds, as part of its strategy to diversify funding sources and broaden access to capital markets. The bank has also raised funds in other currencies, including the South African rand.

The NDB's membership has expanded beyond its five founding countries. Its current members include Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria and Uzbekistan. Ethiopia, Angola and Zimbabwe are listed as prospective members, subject to completion of the formal accession process.

Looking ahead, Rousseff identified industrial innovation, advanced agriculture and scientific cooperation as priorities for the bank's next strategic period. The broader objective, she argued, is to strengthen technological capacity and give developing countries greater scope to determine their own development paths.

“There is no lasting development without science, without basic education and without valuing national culture,” Rousseff said.

She added that Brazil's development ambitions required long-term planning, investment in education and a commitment to national sovereignty.