By Mark Ogagan in Johannesburg
President Bola Tinubu left France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa, to co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This is according to a statement issued on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy).
It said the presidential BNC, scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on December 2, 2024, at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town.
South Africa and Nigeria are this year marking 30 years of diplomatic relations, established in February 1994.
The statement informed that President Tinubu and President Ramaphosa will engage in substantive talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including bilateral, regional and international matters.
According to it, building on the commitments from their June 20, 2024, meeting in Johannesburg shortly after President Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term in office, the two leaders will review the progress achieved since the 10th session of the BNC held in Abuja from November 29 to December 1, 2021.
The 11th session of the BNC will feature deliberations across eight working groups, each focusing on a specific area of mutual interest.
These include political consultations, consular and migration, banking and finance, defence and security, manufacturing, social sector, mines and energy, and trade and investments.
At the high-level meeting, officials of both countries will sign several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements.
The Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission was established in 1999 to further strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
The BNC provides a platform for sustaining high-level dialogue and promoting cooperation in critical areas such as diplomacy, economy, trade, security and other areas of mutual interest.
This year’s meeting is particularly significant as it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Commission, a testament to the enduring friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising state governors, ministers, and senior government officials, and Nigeria and celebrate thirty years of unbroken diplomatic relations between the two countries since 1994.
It will also provide an opportunity to explore new possible areas of economic, trade and investment cooperation.
In March 2016, during the State Visit by South Africa, the BNC was elevated to a presidential level.
The first session at the Heads of State level was held in October 2019 in Pretoria.
The SA-Nigerian BNC was previously headed by deputy presidents of both countries.
There has been a number of exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries, including the visit to Nigeria by President Ramaphosa to attend President Tinubu’s inauguration ceremony held in Abuja on 29 May 2023.
In turn, President Tinubu attended the inauguration of President Ramaphosa in June 2024 and had an opportunity to exchange views.
Nigeria and South Africa regards each other as strategic partners in the context of bilateral relations in the West Africa region, and the continent in pursuing the vision for Africa’s renewal, South-South cooperation, and in the promotion of a rules-based international system of governance.
The two countries share a common vision on issues of political and economic integration of the African continent.
There are currently thirty-four (34) Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding between the two countries which cover a wide range of fields including economic, technical, scientific, social, and tourism, amongst others.
The two countries share historical relations dating back to the struggles against colonialism and the apartheid, during which period Nigeria supported the African National Congress and other liberation movements.
Nigeria spearheaded various campaigns, calling for political and economic sanctions against the apartheid system.
In December 1989, Nigeria championed the adoption of the landmark UN Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in South Africa.
The BNC is expected to further deepen the existing political relations between South Africa and Nigeria and celebrate thirty years of unbroken diplomatic relations between the two countries since 1994.
It will also provide an opportunity to explore new possible areas of economic, trade and investment cooperation.
A business roundtable between South Africa and Nigeria will follow after the conclusion of the BNC on 3 December 2024. Nigeria accounts for approximately 64% of South Africa’s total trade with the West African Region.(www.amatropics.com)
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