Sudene

The Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast (), or Sudene () for short, is a Brazilian governmental agency created in 1959, during the government of President Juscelino Kubitschek (1956–1961), to stimulate economic growth in the northeastern region of Brazil, one of the poorest of the country, that faces chronic droughts and has a semi-arid climate. Sudene was created by suggestion of economist Celso Furtado, one of the leading intellectuals of Brazil, who was the agency's first director.