Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, left, shakes hands with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a bilateral meeting at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. Photo: CFP

 
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in Brasília on Monday, announcing a series of new agreements in strategic areas, including trade, aviation, technology and cultural exchange.

From January to July 2025, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $1.2 billion. Brazilian exports to Nigeria totaled $654.9 million, while imports stood at $591.7 million, resulting in a $63.2 million surplus for Brazil. Nigeria currently ranks as the 47th largest destination for Brazilian exports.

"Over the last decade, trade between Brazil and Nigeria has dropped dramatically. From $10 billion in 2014, it fell to $2 billion in 2024. This was no accident. In recent years, Brazil distanced itself from Africa. Two of the largest economies in Latin America and Africa should have much stronger exchanges," Lula said.

Brazil's main exports to Nigeria include sugar and molasses, raw hides and skins, ethanol and other agricultural and industrial goods. In return, Brazil imports fertilizers, crude oil, natural gas and other petroleum derivatives from the African country.

Lula stressed that recent months have seen progress in several areas, with agreements signed on defense, agriculture, livestock, security, audiovisual production, trade, tourism and energy. "At a time when protectionism and unilateralism are resurging, Nigeria and Brazil reaffirm their commitment to free trade and productive integration." he said.

Aviation connectivity

One of the new accords covers civil aviation cooperation, enabling airlines to establish and operate direct routes. Lula announced the launch of a direct flight between Lagos and São Paulo, to be operated by Nigerian airline Air Peace.

"Brazil understands the meaning of our shared history, culture and color, marked by 350 years of slavery imposed on Africans here. The only way to repay this debt cannot be with money, but through solidarity and political, economic and cultural alignment. Brazil must help Africa by transferring technology and knowledge," Lula added.

Memorandums of Understanding

During the visit, Brazil and Nigeria signed four MoUs in strategic areas:

· cooperation in the training of diplomats to strengthen institutional ties;

· the establishment of regular political consultations to facilitate dialogue on issues of mutual interest;

· cooperation in science, technology and innovation, covering research in biotechnology, bioeconomy, ocean science, energy, space development, digital transformation and new materials;

· a framework agreement between Brazil's development bank BNDES and Nigeria's Bank of Agriculture to promote trade and development.

Bilateral relations

Brazil and Nigeria maintain long-standing and diverse ties, with Nigeria playing a central role in Brazil's cultural and social formation. Diplomatic relations have been strong since Nigeria's independence in 1960. The West African nation, Africa's largest economy and most populous country, is the only country in the region - and one of the few worldwide - with which Brazil maintains a Strategic Dialogue Mechanism.

The mechanism held its first session in Brasília in 2013, creating bilateral working groups on agriculture, food security, consular and legal issues, defense, trade and investment.

Speaking to the press, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria's interest in strengthening the partnership, particularly in sectors deemed strategic for joint development.

"We talked about history and about African and Brazilian heritage. We allowed problems in the past to hold us back, but today we said this is over. Brazil and Nigeria are here to grow together," Tinubu said.

"Technology transfer, energy and the economy are ways that can benefit both countries. Together, we can develop our economies, strengthen our sovereignty and contribute to a better world," he added.

(Reported by Brasil 247 on August 25, 2025)