From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has hailed the landmark $1 billion Green Imperative agricultural initiative as a defining moment in Nigeria’s revitalised strategic partnership with Brazil.
According to a statement issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President, speaking at the 2nd Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM) held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, emphasised that the alliance is rooted in shared democratic values and a commitment to tangible outcomes.
“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,” he declared during the opening session.
The Green Imperative project, jointly developed by the two nations, aims to inject over $1 billion into mechanised farming equipment, training, and service centres across Nigeria. Shettima highlighted its potential to generate employment, boost productivity, and advance Nigeria’s goal of food self-sufficiency and export capacity.
“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.
Shettima also reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to economic reforms designed to enhance Nigeria’s investment climate. “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,” he noted.
Looking ahead, the Vice President outlined Nigeria’s vision to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030, with reforms spanning agriculture, energy, education, and public finance. He invited Brazil’s expertise in biofuels and renewable technologies to foster joint ventures and co-investment.
The dialogue produced seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering agriculture, defence, energy, culture, and counter-narcotics cooperation. Among them were: an Addendum to the Strategic Dialogue Mechanism reaffirming the bilateral framework; a Defence Cooperation Agreement focusing on military training, intelligence sharing, and technology; a Technical Cooperation on Energy targeting electricity generation and renewable energy development; and agreements on livestock, audiovisual cooperation, tourism, and combating illicit drug trafficking.
Vice President Shettima urged both countries to move from signing agreements to implementing them, saying, “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.”
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin praised the partnership’s foundation on shared values and concrete results. “It is with great satisfaction that we witness the important results achieved in several fronts of cooperation,” he said, highlighting Nigeria’s participation in the recent Brazil-Africa dialogue on food security.
Alckmin also underscored Brazil’s role in the global green economy, inviting Nigeria to COP30 in Belém later this year to deepen collaboration on climate and energy transition.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, described the event as a new epoch in Nigeria-Brazil relations, emphasising decades of diplomatic ties and the importance of people-to-people exchanges.
Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, and Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, echoed calls for enhanced cooperation in security and food security, respectively, noting the strategic dialogue as a platform to chart a future of peace, security, and sustainable development.
The high-profile meeting also featured ministers from trade, health, power, livestock, culture, innovation, and governors from several Nigerian states, underscoring the broad national commitment to this bilateral engagement.
