Nigeria and Brazil have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation at a high-level strategic dialogue held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, which brought together senior government officials from both countries, focused on four critical areas: maritime security, joint training and capacity building, defence industry collaboration and technology transfer, as well as intelligence sharing.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, described the engagement as more than a diplomatic formality, saying it reflected “a shared vision for peace, security, and sustainable development.”
Badaru underscored the strategic importance of the Gulf of Guinea and called for intensified cooperation in tackling piracy, smuggling, and other transnational crimes affecting the region’s maritime domain. He acknowledged Brazil’s leading role in the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZOPACAS) and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to active participation in the organisation’s upcoming ministerial meeting.
Highlighting the need for industrial collaboration, the Minister invited Brazil to partner with Nigeria’s Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) on technology transfer, co-production ventures, and direct investments to boost local manufacturing capacity.
He also stressed the need for enhanced intelligence-sharing, particularly to combat drug trafficking and terrorism financing, both of which pose growing security challenges in West Africa and beyond.
Badaru expressed appreciation for the efforts of both nations’ foreign ministries and commended the leadership of Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima and his Brazilian counterpart, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, for advancing the initiative.
“The path ahead is promising,” the Minister said. “Let us sustain this partnership with vision, purpose, and shared commitment to regional stability.”
The dialogue marks a renewed phase in Nigeria-Brazil relations, with both countries positioning themselves as regional anchors committed to global peace and security.
