President Bola Tinubu arrived in Brasília on Monday for a state visit designed to deepen diplomatic, economic, and strategic cooperation between Nigeria and Brazil.
Tinubu, who flew in from Los Angeles, was received at the Brasília Air Base by senior Brazilian officials, including Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, and Brazil’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, was also at the reception.
Shortly after his arrival, the President was welcomed at his hotel by ministers, agency heads, and private sector representatives who will participate in bilateral talks and the signing of new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
The official state welcome, featuring full military honours, is scheduled for the Planalto Palace, where Tinubu will hold a private meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This will be followed by expanded talks between senior officials of both countries. The two leaders are expected to oversee the signing of several MoUs and later address a joint press conference.
During the visit, Tinubu will also meet with the leaders of Brazil’s Senate, Chamber of Deputies, and Supreme Federal Court. He is further billed to attend the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum, where discussions will focus on trade, investment, and economic cooperation.
Nigeria and Brazil have shared close ties since the early 1960s, with Brazil being the only Latin American country represented at Nigeria’s independence celebrations in 1960. Over the decades, collaboration has grown in agriculture, trade, energy, defence, technology, and education.
The state visit follows a series of recent high-level engagements, including Nigeria’s participation in the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025 and the G20 Summit in November 2024. In June 2025, Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin visited Abuja for the Second Session of the Mechanism for Strategic Dialogue, which produced seven MoUs across priority sectors.
Brazil remains a key partner in Nigeria’s food security drive. At the 2024 G20 Summit, Nigeria secured a $2.5 billion investment from Brazilian multinational JBS to boost food production and job creation. Similarly, the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Programme, launched in 2019, continues to advance agricultural mechanisation with tractors and farm equipment for local assembly.
Tinubu’s visit is expected to unlock fresh commitments, reinforcing cooperation between Africa’s largest economy and South America’s biggest economy.
