Rio Grande do Sul state has launched an initiative to promote concessions and “public-private partnerships” (PPPs). “The government started the ‘RS Parcerias’ program to structure and present infrastructure projects for investors. ‘What we are doing in this act is to demonstrate that Rio Grande do Sul has made a very strong and clear decision regarding the partnership with the private sector. We are not thinking about how we can solve this problem. We are saying clearly that the government is aware that the state government alone is not the answer to all the needs of the population, said state governor Eduardo Leite. (…) Concessions for the RSC-287 and ERS-324 highways, state capital Porto Alegre's central bus station, and Sapucaia do Sul zoo are the first projects in the PPP program. Together they demand a 3.4bn-real (US$883mn) investment over 30 years. The government is weighing PPPs for 752km of highways, currently administrated by the state, along with PPPs for local port waterways and school building.”