Tinubu, Lula da Silva strengthen South-South cooperation with direct flights, $1.1bn Green Imperative project, and fresh investments in livestock and energy.
Nigeria and Brazil are set to unlock a new chapter in bilateral relations as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu embarks on a two-day state visit to Brasilia at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The visit, which analysts describe as the most significant in years, is expected to deliver concrete agreements in aviation, agriculture, and trade, with the potential to generate millions of jobs and deepen South–South cooperation.
At the heart of the talks is the revival of direct air links between Lagos and Rio de Janeiro. Under a renewed Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), Brazil’s Varig Air and Nigerian carriers Air Peace and Caverton are poised to commence operations, restoring a crucial transport corridor that promises to ease travel, reduce costs, and expand opportunities in tourism, business, and investment. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is set to sign the pact on behalf of Nigeria.
On agriculture, the spotlight falls on the Green Imperative Partnership (GIP), a $1.1 billion mechanisation programme aimed at supplying 10,000 tractors and 50,000 pieces of equipment for local assembly in Nigeria. With Brazil ranked as a global agricultural powerhouse, the initiative is projected to create at least 100,000 direct jobs and more than five million indirect jobs, while boosting food security through large-scale mechanisation. Brazil is also set to invest directly in Nigeria’s livestock sector, complementing President Tinubu’s recent establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development to unlock opportunities in meat and dairy production.
“Food security, climate change, and energy transition are common challenges that bind Nigeria and Brazil,” noted Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Affairs. “This partnership combines Brazil’s advanced mechanisation capacity with Nigeria’s fertile land, setting the stage for a powerful synergy.”
Trade between the two countries, once valued at $9 billion a decade ago, has declined to below $2 billion in recent years. In 2023, Brazil exported machinery and poultry worth about $970 million to Nigeria, while Nigeria’s shipments, led by oil, cocoa, urea, and sesame, amounted to $920 million. Yet signs of recovery are evident. Nigeria’s non-oil exports to Brazil reached $620 million in October 2024 alone, making Brazil its single largest destination, and accounting for over 20 percent of total non-oil trade that month.
Leaders on both sides are now targeting a rebound, with medium-term ambitions to push annual trade back above $2 billion and a longer-term goal of $3.5 billion by 2030. Brazil’s state-owned energy firm Petrobras and aircraft manufacturer Embraer are also exploring new ventures in Nigeria’s oil, gas, and aviation sectors.
President Tinubu’s visit to Brazil follows his participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan and marks his third official trip to Brazil in the past year, underscoring the country’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s foreign policy. Previous visits included the G-20 meeting in November 2024 and the BRICS Summit in July, where Tinubu attended as an observer.
Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin had earlier visited Abuja in June, where he signed preliminary agreements with Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima. These laid the groundwork for this week’s high-level engagements.
As Nigeria and Brazil, two of the largest economies in Africa and South America, respectively, seek to strengthen cultural and economic ties, the deals signed this week could mark a turning point in restoring trust, reviving trade, and driving a South–South growth agenda that delivers jobs, innovation, and shared prosperity.
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