Nigeria’s Air Peace airline will begin direct flights from Lagos to São Paulo following an agreement reached during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula announced the deal during a joint conference with Tinubu.
The direct flight service is part of several bilateral agreements signed in Brasília after a two-hour expanded meeting between the two presidents. Lula said the new flight route represents an essential step to strengthen ties between Nigeria and Brazil.
“Increasing the direct connections between Nigeria and Brazil is another essential step to strengthen the ties between our societies. We have approved the launch of a direct flight, to be operated by Nigeria’s largest airline company, Air Peace, between Lagos and São Paulo,” Lula said.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Filhos, signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to boost trade and strengthen people-to-people connections between the two countries.
The visit also produced several other cooperation agreements. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, and Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, signed an agreement on diplomatic training cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on political consultations.
In the technology sector, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, and Brazil’s Science Minister, Luciana Santos, signed a cooperation agreement covering biotechnology, bioeconomy, ocean science, innovation ecosystems, energy, space development, digital transformation, and raw materials research.
The agricultural sector also benefited from the visit. The Managing Director of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, and Brazil’s Minister for the National Bank for Economic and Social Development, Aluísio Mercadante, signed an agreement for cooperation on trade and investment promotion, focusing on expanding agricultural financing and joint projects.
The new Air Peace route will be the first direct flight connection between Nigeria and Brazil, potentially boosting business and tourism between Africa’s most populous country and South America’s largest economy.
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