President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Brasília, Brazil, in the early hours of Monday to begin a state visit aimed at deepening diplomatic and economic cooperation between both countries.
The Nigerian leader, who flew in from Los Angeles, United States, was received at the Brasília Air Base by senior Brazilian government officials, including Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, and Ambassador Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete, Brazil’s envoy to Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, was also present at the reception.
Other ministers, top government officials, and members of the Nigerian private sector delegation later welcomed President Tinubu to his hotel ahead of a series of bilateral talks and memorandum of understanding (MoU) signings.
An official welcoming ceremony, featuring full military honours, will take place later on Monday at the Planalto Palace.
Tinubu will then hold a private meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, followed by expanded bilateral sessions. Both leaders will also witness the signing of MoUs and address a joint press conference.
According to Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s schedule includes meetings with the President of the Brazilian Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court. He will also participate in the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum in Brasília.
Nigeria and Brazil share a long history of cordial relations dating back to the 1960s. Brazil was the only Latin American country to attend Nigeria’s independence celebrations in 1960, while Nigeria established its embassy in Brazil in 1966.
In recent years, ties have strengthened through high-level visits and strategic cooperation frameworks.
Notably, the Mechanism for Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by the Vice Presidents of both countries was renewed in June 2025 with seven MoUs covering defence, energy, tourism, livestock, counter-narcotics, and audiovisual co-production.
Brazil remains a strategic partner in Nigeria’s food security drive, with a $2.5 billion JBS investment in sustainable agriculture and supply chains signed during Tinubu’s participation at the 2024 G20 Summit.
Additionally, the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Programme (GIP), launched in 2019, is progressing, targeting the delivery of 10,000 tractors and 50,000 units of farm equipment for local assembly in Nigeria.
Onanuga emphasized that the visit is expected to accelerate trade, investment, and development cooperation between Africa’s largest economy and South America’s biggest nation.
