President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to Brazil to extend its pharmaceutical expertise to Nigeria by setting up generic drug manufacturing plants in the country.
Tinubu insisted that Africa’s most populous nation must not be left behind in critical technology transfer.
Tinubu made the plea during a joint press conference in Brasília on Monday as part of his state visit to Brazil, where he met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Speaking with unusual candour, Tinubu admitted that while Brazil had made “very, very deep and far-off” progress in drug production, Nigeria remained heavily dependent on imports for basic medicines.
“And I don’t see why manufacturing of generic drugs, which Brazil has gone very, very deep and far off, cannot be held in Nigeria. I don’t see why the technological superiority of Brazil is not shared with Africa. We assure each other that it is only us that can really develop our economies to help our sovereignty,” Tinubu said.
The President went further to argue that Africa is “the new frontier” and that Brazil must help Nigeria build capacity in research, technology, food security, and industrial production.
Tinubu, who has been under heavy criticism at home over his controversial reforms, also claimed that his economic policies were already yielding results, despite widespread hardship.
“The reforms I’ve embarked upon since I took over in Nigeria have been very impactful. It was initially painful, but today the result is blossoming. We have more money for the economy, and there will be no more corruption,” he boasted.
Tinubu also noted that Nigeria’s foreign exchange market had been liberalised, saying, “You don’t have to know the Central Bank Governor before getting forex. The speculators are out. The door is open for businesses.”
He also announced that Petrobras, the Brazilian state oil giant, would soon return to Nigeria after years of absence, describing the move as key to unlocking Nigeria’s untapped oil and gas potential.
“We have the largest deposit of gas. I don’t see why Petrobras will not be back in Nigeria as soon as possible. And I appreciate this promising that that will be done as soon as possible,” Tinubu stated.
Tinubu ended his remarks by romanticizing the geographic closeness of Brazil and Africa.
“When you look at the geography and the map of the world, between Brazil and Africa, you see a contiguous little narrow strip of water. If you’re a very good swimmer, you can swim across easily,” he said.
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