Ahead of the forthcoming Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria is now on a new growth trajectory, ready for investments across different sectors because of the well-thought-out policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This is just as Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, is set to lead a delegation of top executives in the country on a state visit to Nigeria for the second session of the Brazil-Nigeria Mechanism for Strategic Dialogue, after over a decade-long break.

Speaking on Tuesday during an update meeting with relevant ministers and heads of agencies at the Presidential Villa, Shettima stressed that “in President Bola Tinubu, we have a leader who has shown that dexterity, that audacity to hope for a better tomorrow.”

Shettima expressed satisfaction with the firm grasp of the real issues by ministers in the key sectors targeted for deliberations during the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism slated for the later part of the year.

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He called on all the key actors on the Nigerian side to make adequate preparations for the meeting, noting that there has to be clarity, strategic coherence and a deep understanding of issues that will be tabled for discussion.

He said, “I want to urge all ministers involved in this Nigeria-Brazil strategic dialogue to take charge of the initiative of the discussions so that we can take it to the next level; let’s walk the talk. Drive the process, engage with the different strategic focus groups to give you weekly updates to prepare us for the visit of the Brazilian vice president and his delegation.

“The most important thing at this moment is for us to actualise the dreams of our nation’s development. We have the resources and institutional knowledge to make this work for our country.”

On the similarities between Nigeria and Brazil, the vice president stressed the need to leverage the huge opportunities inherent in the partnership between both countries to actualise Nigeria’s vision across agriculture, culture and tourism, livestock production and military technology, among others.

Earlier in his speech, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said the dialogue presents a renewed opportunity for Nigeria to revitalise the nation’s agricultural sector to attain the food sovereign goals of the administration.

“On behalf of the agriculture sector, it is time for us to walk the talk. It is a good day for Nigeria because agriculture will play a major role in the partnership. We have an opportunity to catch up with the rest of the world and be on our way to food sovereignty,” the minister said.