Nigeria, Brazil sign $1.1b green project to strengthen agricultural productivity
Nigeria and Brazil have signed the commercial phase of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP) to boost agriculture and enhance private sector investment in Nigeria.
Also, the giant of Africa and Cuba made a bold move towards strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, with a renewed focus on healthcare, education and trade.
According to the Presidency, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brazil is part of measures to ensure food security in the country. Both Nigeria and Cuba marked 50 years of diplomatic relations, which formally started in 1974.
Vice President Kashim Shettima described Cuba as “a sacred land every progressive would identify with.”
GIP, the largest agricultural project in Africa, which prioritises the development of sustainable, low-carbon agriculture, aims to develop structural conditions to boost food production in Nigeria in an efficient and competitive manner.
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The MoU for the $1.1 billion GIP phase 1 was signed in 2018, while the $4.3 billion phase 2 of the project and the $2.5 billion JBS were signed in Brazil during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to that country last year.
Shettima described the signing of the commercial phase of the GIP as part of ongoing efforts by the administration to enhance food security in the country. He said the GIP would leverage strategic opportunities to drive the nation’s economic growth and boost investor confidence.
He said: “As this administration addresses the food security challenges we are facing and dovetails the 8-point agenda of Tinubu, we must synergise and use existing initiatives such as the GIP for policy continuity, to utilise or leverage strategic opportunities to drive our economic growth and also to enhance investor confidence.
“We have been battling with low agricultural productivity for decades. As I have always said, entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the very psyche of the average Nigerian, but what our people are lacking is the wherewithal to be placed on the first ladder of development.”
In his remarks, the Ambassador of Brazil to Nigeria, Carlos Garcete, said it was a great honour for Brazil to associate with the GIP, saying, “Over the past seven years, there has been negotiation with the Nigerian government to obtain the necessary funds from private and regional development banks to finance this ambitious project, which is worth approximately $1.1billion.”
He noted that the project would allow for the importation of agricultural equipment such as tractors, and spare parts and the assembling of machines would be done in Nigeria with Nigerian labour, stressing that “in the event of breakdown of any tractor, it will be possible to carry out any repair here in Nigeria by the personnel who will be trained by GIP.”
While receiving the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero, the VP said: “Cuba, though located in South America, has its heartbeat in Africa. Your country played a crucial role in Africa’s liberation movements, standing with us during the anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa. We are mightily proud of you because you represent resilience, unity and selfless leadership,” he said.
He noted that there were cultural and ancestral ties between Nigeria and Cuba, adding: “About 70 per cent of Cuban Africans are from Nigeria. For us, Cuba is a sacred land where progressive Africans identify with.”
Assuring the Cuban delegation that Nigeria would continue to honour its commitments and seek ways to bolster partnerships, particularly in healthcare and vaccine development, Shettima stated: “Our hearts and souls are with you. No matter how long the night is, it will give way to the light of the dawn. We will support you in whatever way we can, especially in strengthening our partnership in healthcare and vaccination programmes,” he stated.
Parrilla outlined the enduring friendship between Nigeria and Cuba with events marking the milestone 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, emphasised the significance of the longstanding relationship and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deeper collaboration.
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