ANBA (the Brazil-Arab News Agency) was established in September 2003 by Agência Meios, at the request of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commercer. The agency was born to promote communications between Brazil and the 22 Arab nations represented by the organisation. In bilingual edition, English and Portuguese, the agency is currently the Arab Brazilian Chamber's most important channel of exchange.
The main ANBA objective is to foster relations between Brazilians and Arabs. The result has been growth and generation of new business opportunities, closer cultural relations and the strengthening of diplomatic relations. Therefore, the agency is focussed on the areas of economics, business, foreign trade and culture.
The ANBA content is produced by a qualified and experienced team of journalists, supported by a network of correspondents all over the national territory and by partnerships established with news organisations in the Arab nations. With two production teams, one at the Arab Brazilian Chamber offices and another at Meios, in São Paulo, ANBA is on the air 24 hours a day.
Apart from designing ANBA, Agência Meios' responsibilities also include production and journalistic and editorial coordination.
The agency has already won seven journalism awards. In 2004 and 2005, the ANBA team won the National Confederation of Transport (CNT) award in the Internet category. In 2006, the agency won the National Association of Railway Transport (ANTF) award, in the website category, and the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq) award in the online category. In the same year the organisation was among the three finalists of the Massey Ferguson Award, which it won in 2007. Still last year, ANBA received the CNC 25 Years Special Report Award, in the Internet category, granted by the Brazilian Coffee Council (CNC), was a finalist in the Alexandre Adler Journalism Award in Health, and won the Embrapa Journalism Award in the Internet category. In 2008, ANBA was among the six finalists in the Southeast of Brazil in the first phase of the Sebrae Journalism Award.