By Ayo Kehinde
Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, will soon begin a direct flight from Lagos to the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.
Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, disclosed this to newsmen at a joint conference with his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, after a meeting between the two leaders.
The two-hour expanded bilateral meeting witnessed the signing of agreements and MOUs at the Palácio do Planalto in Brasília.
“Increasing the direct connections between Nigeria and Brazil is another essential step to strengthen the ties between our societies. We have approved the launch of a direct flight, to be operated by Nigeria’s largest airline company, Air Peace, between Lagos and São Paulo”, Lula said.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filhos, signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to boost trade and people-to-people ties.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, signed an agreement on Diplomatic Training Cooperation.
Both ministers also signed an MoU on political consultations to address bilateral, regional, and international issues of common interest.
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji and Brazil’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Luciana Santos, signed an MoU on cooperation in biotechnology, bioeconomy, ocean science, innovation ecosystems, energy, space development, digital transformation, and raw materials research.
Managing Director of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin and Brazil’s Minister for the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Aluísio Mercadante, signed an MOU for cooperation on trade and investment promotion, harmonising efforts to expand agricultural financing, investment, and joint projects.
