PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will leave France on Monday, December 2, for Cape Town, South Africa, to co-chair the 11th Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Presidential Bi-National Commission, set for Tuesday, December 3, will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on Monday at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town.
Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday, December 1, announced that the President and Ramaphosa would engage in meaningful discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues of shared interest.
“Building on the commitments from their meeting on June 20, 2024, in Johannesburg, shortly after President Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term in office, the two leaders will review the progress made 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,” part of the statement read.
Onanuga further stated that officials from both countries would sign several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements during the meeting.
He noted that the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission, established in 1999, sought to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two nations, with the first Heads of State-level session held in October 2019 in Pretoria.
The statement further explained that the Bi-National Commission was a platform for maintaining high-level dialogue and promoting collaboration in key areas such as diplomacy, trade, security, and economic development.
It highlighted the importance of this year’s meeting, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Commission, underscoring the enduring partnership between the two countries.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org