As the world fiscal crisis continues to shake developed economies, emerging economies are left to fend for themselves.

In a sure sign of survivor's instincts, emerging economy Brazil will be launching a top-level drive to expand its economic ties with another fast emerging region, Africa.

President Dilma Rousseff, who visited three African countries last month, is concerned about the risks the eurozone debt crisis poses to her country. Already, Brazil has seen a slowing demand for its exports, an indication it will have difficulty recovering from its disappointing growth this year, which registered at only around 3 per cent or 4 per cent.

Rousseff has formed an "Africa Group" to fast-track Brazil's push into Africa.

"The crisis has accelerated this strategy," Fernando Pimentel, Brazil's trade and industry minister, told Reuters. "There will be a dispute for economic space in Africa, and Brazil has to be positioned there."

Pimentel along with other government officials and business executives will visit Africa this month on a 10-day mission to explore business opportunities in the three countries that Rousseff recently visited, fellow Portguese-speakers Angola and Mozambique, and South Africa.

According to Deutsche Bank, the eight most promising emerging economies in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, have grown by an average of 6.6 per cent per year over the past decade, the same rate as the BRIC group of big emerging countries Brazil, Russia, India and China, even faster than emerging Asian economies.

Brazil's overall trade with Africa has multiplied since 2002 to $20.6 billion in 2010, compared to an $82 billion trade with the European Union. The growth spurt largely depended on exploitation of commodities as Africa tapped Brazilian firms' expertise in mining, oil exploration and tropical agriculture.

Africa's total share of Brazil's trade remains small at just over 5 per cent.

Brazilian firm Vale started a $1.7 billion coal mine in Mozambique in May that is expected to give a $1 billion boost to Mozambique's trade balance next year. Brazilian construction company Odebrecht is the largest private employer in Angola, largely involved in food and ethanol production, factories and supermarkets. Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras is active in deep-water drilling off Angola.

Pimentel said they will look at creating new financing mechanisms to support Brazilian projects during their African visit.