President Bola Tinubu has assured his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, that he will remove all bottlenecks hindering the agricultural sector’s potential—including livestock production—with a view to enabling food sovereignty and boosting exports.
The governments of Nigeria and Brazil also agreed to further deepen collaboration in agriculture, technology, oil & gas, energy, trade, mining & extractive industries, and industrial development.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu disclosed this via his official Facebook page on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
He expressed pleasure at being back in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the BRICS Summit, where he held a productive pre-summit bilateral meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Update on Bilateral Meeting
Tinubu stated that Nigeria and Brazil share historic ties and common aspirations, with enhanced cooperation between the two countries over the past two years.
“Today, we agreed to further deepen collaboration in agriculture, technology, oil & gas, energy, trade, mining & extractive industries, and industrial development. These sectors are critical to inclusive growth and prosperity for both our peoples,” he disclosed.
- He stressed that, as two of the largest democracies in the Global South, both countries share a responsibility to lead with vision, courage, and fairness to shape a more balanced, equitable, and dignified global future.
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Speaking further, President Tinubu assured that “all bottlenecks hindering the realization of the agricultural sector’s potential, including livestock production, will be removed to enable food sovereignty and export.”
- According to a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the President noted that bureaucracy contributes significantly to delays in realizing the agricultural sector’s potential.
“The President informed the Brazilian leader and delegation that Nigeria is already undergoing reforms to reposition the economy for global competitiveness, particularly in agriculture, where it already has a competitive advantage,” the statement partly reads.
The President emphasized that all technicalities in agreements between the two countries will be streamlined and fast-tracked in trade, aviation, energy transition, food and agricultural development, mining, and natural resource exploration.
- On his part, President Lula da Silva assured that all agreements with Nigeria would be regularized, and the MOUs would be updated and signed without delay during President Tinubu’s next visit.
- Da Silva also noted that lingering bureaucracy between the two countries must be removed to achieve quick results.
- He added that Brazil’s research and development institutions will collaborate with Nigeria to enhance livestock farming.
What to Know
This development comes months after Nigeria and Brazil signed the commercial phase of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP) to boost agricultural productivity and enhance private-sector investment in Nigeria.
The agreement, signed at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, aims to enhance food production, promote sustainable agriculture, and bolster private-sector investment in Nigeria.
The GIP is the largest agricultural initiative on the continent, prioritizing the development of sustainable, low-carbon farming practices.
