Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria is undergoing a “quiet but resolute transformation” under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, marked by structural reforms and renewed global partnerships.
Speaking in Abuja during the Nigeria–Brazil Business Forum, tagged “Roots to Revenue: The Nigeria–Brazil Corridor,” Shettima said markets are opening, institutions are being rebuilt, and reforms are focused on long-term national development rather than optics.
“Our Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones are taking shape. Our energy transition plan is grounded in what we can control,” he noted, stressing the administration’s seriousness of purpose and its openness to international partnerships.
He described Brazil as a “partner in innovation,” praising the South American country’s success in agriculture, clean energy, and industrial development.
Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, echoed the sentiment, calling the moment “one of the most promising” in Nigeria-Brazil relations.
He committed to stronger cooperation, including investment in agriculture and trade under the Green Imperative Initiative, a $1.1 billion programme to transfer Brazilian agricultural technology to Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, called for a reset in bilateral trade, lamenting a drop from $9 billion to $2 billion in a decade. She listed priority sectors including agro-industrial value chains, digital trade, and pharmaceuticals, urging both sides to “walk the talk.”
The business forum formed part of the ongoing Nigeria–Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM), as both countries seek to build a commercially successful South–South corridor.
