President Bola Tinubu will leave France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa, to co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Sunday titled ‘President Tinubu to co-chair 11th session of the bi-national commission with President Ramaphosa.’
Onanuga 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.
“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.
“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 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 first session at the Heads of State level was held in October 2019 in Pretoria.
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.
The Presidency said 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,” it added.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising state governors, ministers, and senior government officials,
He is returning to South Africa for the second time in 2024, marking his 33rd foreign trip since assuming office 18 months ago.
So far, the President has logged 135 days abroad, visiting 17 countries and accumulated about 285 flight hours.
Countries visited include Paris, France (five times); Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; London, the United Kingdom (four times); Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (twice); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; The Hague, Netherlands; Pretoria, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (twice); Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dakar, Senegal and Doha, Qatar.
He will return to the country after the BNC meeting.
By Stephen Angbulu @ThePUNCH
