Nigeria, Brazil seal $1.1bn Green imperative project to boost agriculture

 

Six years after its initial agreement, Nigeria and Brazil have officially signed the commercial phase of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP), marking a significant step toward enhancing food security and agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking at the signing ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, emphasised the project aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to economic growth, policy continuity, and private-sector-driven agricultural development.

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.

The MoU for the $1.1 billion GIP 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 Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to that country last year.

Shettima described the signing of the commercial phase of the GIP 1 as part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Tinubu to enhance food security in the country.

He said: “As this administration addresses the food security challenges we are facing and dovetails the 8-point agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is imperative for us to synergise and use existing initiatives such as the GIP for the purpose of policy continuity, for the purpose of utilising or leveraging on strategic opportunities to drive our economic growth and also to enhance investor confidence.”

According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications Office of the Vice President Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima noted while the GIP aligns with all the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration, it will link small-scale farmers with all the agricultural value chains in the country.

He noted: “We have been battling with low agricultural productivity for decades, and 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.


“This GIP is a wonderful opportunity because it seamlessly aligns with all the policies and programmes of this government. It’s a private sector driven initiative that targets the small-scale farmer and links him up with all the agricultural value chains.

“Today, to me, is a highpoint of our leadership in this country. Yes, we have started seven years behind but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. 2025 as rightly captured by His Excellency, the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, is a milestone year in our journey towards food security and diversification of our nation’s economy.”

The Vice President gave credit to the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Foreign Affairs Minister, among others for the success of the project.

Ambassador of Brazil to Nigeria, Carlos Garcete said it is a great honour for Brazil to associate with the Green Imperative Project (GIP), saying “over the past seven years, there has been negotiation with the Nigerian government with a view to obtaining the necessary funds from private and regional development banks to finance this ambitious project, which is worth approximately $1.1billion dollars.”

He noted that the project will allow for the importation of agricultural equipment such as tractors, spare parts and assembling of machines will be done in Nigeria with the Nigerian labour, stressing that “in the event of breakdown of any tractor, it will be possible to carry out any repairs here in Nigeria by the personnel who will be trained by GIP.”

On behalf the Brazilian government, Mr. Garcete thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for bringing the long negotiation to a fruitful conclusion.

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