Nigeria-Brazil dialogue produces $1bn Agric deal, strategic alliance
Anthony Ailemen
Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, applauded the over $1 billion Green Imperative agricultural initiative, saying it is a milestone in Nigeria’s renewed strategic alliance with Brazil, grounded in mutual respect and practical cooperation.
Shettima, while speaking at the opening ceremony, stressed the need for concrete and deliverable agreements with specific timelines.
The Vice President described the 2nd Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, holding at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as product of longstanding relationship between both countries, which he said, “is not defined by geography but by common ambition”.
“Brazil and Nigeria are not bound by geography, but by a shared dream. Two large, diverse democracies. Two economies with immense natural and human capital. Two nations with the right to dream and the ability to build,” the Nigerian Vice President noted.
Shettima stressed the transformational impact of the Green Imperative Project, jointly developed by both nations, which aims to deploy over $1 billion to deliver mechanised farming equipment, training, and service centres across Nigeria.
“This project will create jobs, raise productivity, and help secure Nigeria’s ambition to feed itself and others. The Green Imperative is a flagship of this partnership, and one we are determined to deliver,” he said.
VP Shettima also used the occasion to reaffirm the President Bola Tinubu’s Administration’s commitment to economic reforms that are reshaping Nigeria’s investment landscape.
He said, “Fuel subsidies have been removed. The exchange rate has been unified. A new business facilitation regime has come into force. These decisions are not without cost, but they are restoring credibility to our markets and discipline to public finance.”
The Vice President explained that Nigeria is laying the foundation for a one trillion-dollar economy by 2030, with reforms spanning agriculture, energy, education, and public finance.
“We are moving from subsistence to scale in agriculture, and in energy, we are taking long-overdue steps to attract serious investment into gas production, refining, and renewables. We recognise Brazil’s experience in biofuels and renewable technologies and see clear opportunities for joint ventures, knowledge transfer, and co-investment.
“The Memoranda of Understanding before our sister nations today speak to the breadth of this cooperation. But memoranda are only as meaningful as the follow-through they inspire. We must resist the temptation to confuse signing with solving”, he added.
Urging both sides to agree on practical steps to measure and enforce progress, the Vice President said, “Let this Strategic Dialogue Mechanism not be remembered as a formal reunion, but as a decisive pivot—from aspiration to execution, from promise to proof.”
On his part, Brazil’s Vice President, Alckmin, said the strengthening of the Brazil-Nigeria partnership is anchored in shared values and a concrete results agenda, noting that “it is with great satisfaction that we witness the important results achieved in several fronts of cooperation.”
Alckmin highlighted Nigeria’s presence in the 2nd Brazil-Africa dialogue on food security held in Brasilia last May, pointing out areas where the two countries had strengthened partnership and cooperation.
He said, “In the signing of Memoranda of Understanding in areas of agriculture and security, which will boost our cooperation, our partnership has been strengthened also by the frequent high-level visits such as President Bola Tinubu’s recent participation in the G20 and the upcoming BRICS meeting in July.”
On climate issues, the Brazilian VP said Brazil has the largest tropical forest in the world, which is a powerhouse in the green and low-carbon economy, just as he stated that it is impossible to discuss the energy transition without including Brazil.
“I invite Nigeria, a country that also plays a leading role in these agendas, to come to COP30 in Belém at the end of this year. We must cooperate on these crucial issues for our countries and the world, and we have made a lot of progress,” he added.
BusinessDay NG