Brazil and Nigeria ink bilateral deals during state visit
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that Brazil wants to expand trade with Nigeria and affirmed that both countries are committed to free trade at a time when “protectionism and unilateralism” are resurging around the world. The Brazilian leader welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for a state visit at the Planalto presidential palace on Monday (Aug. 25) and reaffirmed his concern for the development of Africa.
He noted that Brazil–Nigeria trade has seen a “sharp decline” over the past decade – from USD 10 billion in 2014 to USD 2 billion last year – with Nigeria being Brazil’s fourth largest trading partner in Africa.
“At this moment, when protectionism and unilateralism are resurging, Nigeria and Brazil reaffirm their commitment to free trade and productive integration. We remain committed to building a peaceful world free from hegemonic impositions,” said President Lula.
Among possible areas of cooperation, he named agriculture, oil and gas, fertilizers, aircraft, and machinery. Today, Brazil chief exports include sugar and molasses (74%), while imports are concentrated in fertilizers (48%) and oil and its derivatives (48%).
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, in turn, said that Nigeria has a very young population that is ready to exchange ideas and take advantage of opportunities with the exchange of technology. “They know that Brazil has the assets we need,” he said.
Nigeria, he pointed out, is interested in the industrial production of generic drugs – already well established in Brazil – and in partnerships with Petrobras in the exploration of natural gas. “We are the third largest oil producer in Africa, and this is not leading to valuable commercial activities as it should,” he stated.
Resumption
Nigeria is one of Brazil’s main partners on the African continent, and boasts 65 years of bilateral relations.
During Monday’s visit, five bilateral agreements were signed. One of them is on civil aviation, which aims to establish and operate air services between the two territories. The launch of a direct flight between São Paulo and Lagos, a coastal city in Nigeria, was approved. The flight will be operated by Air Peace, the largest airline in the African country.
Memoranda of understanding were also signed for the training of diplomats, political consultations on bilateral issues and regional and international matters, and also between Brazil’ development bank BNDES and the Bank of Agriculture of Nigeria (BoA) for the promotion of trade and investment.
Finally, the two countries signed a memorandum for cooperation in science, technology, and innovation. The goal is to promote effective collaboration in research on biotechnology and bio-economics, ocean science, innovation ecosystems, energy, space development, digital transformation, and raw material development.
In his statement, Lula said that, still this half year, Brazil will appoint a Federal Police attaché to work in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. “The concern with combating organized crime, terrorism, and international drug trafficking was also at the center of our meeting today,” he added.
“One of the perverse consequences of globalization is the coordination of criminal groups across national borders. No country can defeat national crime on its own. Crime is evolving at an unprecedented rate, requiring urgent and coordinated multilateral action,” the president went on to say.
