Nigeria and Brazil have finalized the commercial phase of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP), a landmark initiative designed to strengthen food security, enhance agricultural productivity, and attract private-sector investment in Africa’s most populous nation. The agreement, signed this week in Abuja, forms part of a broader $8 billion agricultural partnership between the two countries, underscoring Nigeria’s push to modernize its farming sector and diversify its economy.

The GIP, hailed as Africa’s largest agricultural project, prioritizes sustainable, low-carbon practices and aims to establish structural conditions for efficient food production. It builds on earlier agreements, including a 2018 memorandum of understanding for GIP’s first phase and additional deals worth $6.8 billion signed during Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Brazil in late 2023.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized the project’s alignment with the Tinubu administration’s economic agenda. “This initiative synergizes with our efforts to address food security and drive growth,” he said. “By linking small-scale farmers to agricultural value chains, we aim to unlock entrepreneurial potential and elevate productivity, which has lagged for decades.”

The GIP will facilitate the import of Brazilian agricultural machinery, including tractors, with local assembly and maintenance handled by Nigerian technicians trained through the program. Carlos Garcete, Brazil’s Ambassador to Nigeria, highlighted the project’s focus on sustainability and knowledge transfer. “Breakdowns can be repaired locally using Nigerian labor, reducing dependency on external expertise,” he said, noting that negotiations spanned seven years to secure financing from regional development banks and private investors.

Governors from Nigeria’s key agricultural states, including Jigawa and Benue, pledged support for the initiative. Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia described the deal as a “transformative step” for Nigeria’s food basket region, while Jigawa Governor Umar Namadi praised the federal government’s commitment to agricultural modernization.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar framed the partnership as a model of Global South cooperation, referencing Brazil’s success in converting savannah into fertile farmland. The project aligns with Brazil’s history of agricultural innovation, with officials expressing optimism that similar strategies could bolster Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.

The GIP’s rollout is expected to accelerate progress toward Nigeria’s goal of achieving food self-sufficiency by 2025. With over 70% of its workforce engaged in agriculture, the country aims to curb food imports, reduce post-harvest losses, and attract foreign investment. The Tinubu administration has identified agriculture as pivotal to its eight-point economic agenda, which targets inflation reduction and job creation amid ongoing fiscal reforms.

As the commercial phase begins, stakeholders will closely monitor implementation, particularly the integration of smallholder farmers into mechanized value chains and the scalability of green technologies. The project marks a critical test of Nigeria’s ability to leverage international partnerships to address systemic challenges in its agricultural sector.