Discussions started between Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos Garcete, to activate the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and commence direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil.

The talks are a follow-up to a 2018 Memorandum of Understanding between the countries, aimed at boosting air connections and economic cooperation.

The Minister and the Brazilian Ambassador stressed the need for new BASA arrangements during the meetings, according to Tunde Moshood, the special adviser to the minister on media and communications.

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The meeting came after President Tinubu and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agreed to resume the BASA arrangements in February 2024.

The ambassador said that direct flights between the two countries would spur economic growth and emphasized the need to finalize the Open Skies Agreement.

“There are numerous similarities between Nigeria and Brazil, and the activation of these flights will not only enhance trade but also strengthen cultural and social exchanges,” Nigeria’s minister of aviation noted.