South-South Cooperation, Nigeria-Brazil Relations, and Lessons for Africa’s Development Diplomacy

South-South cooperation (SSC) has emerged as a defining feature of twenty-first century international development relations, offering alternative models of knowledge exchange, technical assistance, and solidarity-based economic partnership that diverge from traditional Northern donor-recipient dynamics. Nigeria-Brazil relations, anchored in shared African heritage, comparable resource endowments, and parallel development challenges, represent one of the most analytically interesting bilateral relationships within the SSC framework. This study, situated within the intellectual tradition of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, examines the substance, achievements, and limitations of Nigeria-Brazil cooperation across the agriculture, energy, and higher education sectors between 2019 and 2024. A qualitative methodology is employed, incorporating analysis of bilateral agreement texts, technical cooperation program evaluations, and interviews with Nigerian government officials, UNN academics with expertise in Latin American affairs, and Brazilian diplomatic mission representatives in Abuja. The theoretical framework draws on BRICS-adjacent cooperation theory and the concept of horizontal knowledge transfer. Findings indicate that Nigeria-Brazil SSC has produced demonstrable gains in agricultural technology transfer, particularly in cassava processing and biofuel research, while cooperation in the higher education sector remains underdeveloped. Political will fluctuations in both countries and inadequate follow-through on implementation frameworks limit SSC outcomes. The research recommends sustained diplomatic commitment to SSC programming and the establishment of a joint Nigeria-Brazil development research consortium to institutionalize the partnership. Keywords: South-South cooperation, Nigeria-Brazil relations, development diplomacy, horizontal knowledge transfer, Africa