President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Brasília, Brazil, to begin an official state visit aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic relations with the South American nation.
The Nigerian leader, who flew in from Los Angeles, United States, touched down at the Brasília Air Base on Monday, where he was warmly received by senior Brazilian government officials.
Those on hand to welcome him included Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Brazil’s Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, and Ambassador Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete, Brazil’s envoy to Nigeria.
Also present at the reception was Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, alongside ministers, heads of government agencies, and private sector representatives who will join in a series of high-level engagements scheduled for the visit.
Official welcome, high-level meetings
Later on Monday, President Tinubu will be honoured with a formal reception at the Planalto Palace, Brazil’s presidential seat, complete with military pageantry.
He is expected to hold a private discussion with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva before participating in broader bilateral talks between delegations from both countries.
The two leaders will oversee the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and later address a joint press conference.
Tinubu is also scheduled to meet with the President of the Brazilian Senate, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Federal Court.
In addition, the Nigerian delegation will participate in the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum, where trade, investment, and strategic partnerships are expected to dominate discussions.
Longstanding Nigeria–Brazil relations
Nigeria and Brazil have shared close diplomatic ties for over six decades. Brazil was the only Latin American country represented at Nigeria’s independence celebrations in 1960, and Nigeria officially opened its embassy in Brasília in 1966.
Since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has intensified engagements with Brazil. He represented Nigeria at the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025 and attended the G20 Summit in São Paulo last year at the invitation of President Lula.
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and his wife, Maria Lúcia Alckmin, also visited Abuja in June 2025 for the Second Session of the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue, which produced seven new agreements covering defence, energy, tourism, livestock development, and counternarcotics cooperation.
Boosting trade, agriculture
Brazil remains a critical partner in Nigeria’s food security drive. During the G20 Summit in 2024, a $2.5 billion investment deal was signed with Brazilian agribusiness giant JBS to strengthen food production and supply chains in Nigeria.
The project is expected to create thousands of jobs for young Nigerians.
Similarly, the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Programme (GIP), launched in 2019, continues to advance agricultural mechanisation.
Under the initiative, Nigeria will receive 10,000 tractors and 50,000 farming equipment units for local assembly to support smallholder farmers.
Speaking ahead of the meetings, a senior Nigerian official said the visit reflects Tinubu’s commitment to “building strong economic alliances that will deliver tangible benefits for Nigerians.”
President Tinubu’s engagements in Brasília are expected to set the tone for a new phase of cooperation between Africa’s largest economy and South America’s biggest nation.
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