Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff has accepted an invitation to visit Nigeria before the end of the year to boost economic and trade relations between both countries.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Reuben Abati, stated that Ms Rousseff’s state visit to Nigeria has been tentatively scheduled for November.
President Jonathan had extended the invitation to the Brazilian leader at a bilateral meeting on Wednesday during the on-going United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, noting that greater economic and developmental cooperation would be in the mutual interest of both nations.
The President affirmd that Nigeria will welcome increased Brazilian support and cooperation for the development of mechanized agriculture, power generation and other sectors in which Brazilians are globally acknowledged experts.
He also called for the revitalization of the Africa-South American Cooperation Forum which was jointly initiated by Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the former President of Brazil, Mr. Lula Da Silva as a platform for the promotion of economic and political cooperation between the two countries and continents.
Accepting President Jonathan’s invitation to visit Nigeria, President Rousseff said she will come with Brazilian investors and businessmen with expertise in many fields to give them an opportunity to meet their Nigerian counterparts with a view to establishing profitable joint ventures.
She assured President Jonathan that Brazil, currently the world’s sixth largest economy, would be glad to deploy the skills and expertise which its people have acquired in many fields, including engineering, construction, technology, public infrastructure, hydro-power generation and large scale mechanised agriculture for economic growth and development in Nigeria.