Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and Fundação Getulio Vargas of Brazil, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance private sector development in fertiliser production, hybrid seed technology and agricultural finance.
The MoU was signed on behalf of the Nigerian government by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Temitope Fashedemi, and the President of FGV, Prof Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal, at FGV Headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
According to the statement titled, ‘Nigeria, Brazil sign MOU to boost agribusiness in 774 Local Government Areas released on Sunday by the State House in Abuja, under the MOU, private-sector projects on fertiliser production, hybrid seed technology, and agricultural financing are projected to attract $4.3bn in private-sector investment.”
It added that the agreement marks a new phase of strategic collaboration between Nigeria and FGV, the Green Imperative Project lead implementer, one of the largest international agricultural technology transfer initiatives.
“Conceived in 2018, GIP is a $1.2bn cooperative effort between Brazil and Nigeria, designed to modernise Nigeria’s agricultural sector through Brazilian expertise in tropical agriculture.
“Since the MoU was conceived in 2018, both parties have engaged in many meaningful discussions to advance its design and implementation.
“The project, supported by Deutsche Bank, aims to deliver transformative agricultural technologies and knowledge transfer over its 10-year duration,” he statement said.
It noted that over the next five years, the project will identify and support one agribusiness in Nigeria’s 774 local government areas with technical and financial resources, driving sustainable development and economic growth.
“This partnership paves the way for Brazil to engage with Nigeria’s dynamic and rapidly growing agricultural sector.
“Together with FGV, we are poised to unlock the potential of private sector investment in key areas critical to our food security,” the statement quoted Fashedemi as saying after the signing ceremony.
GIK/APA