President Bola Tinubu is expected to depart Paris, 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.
Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including state governors, ministers, and senior government officials.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a release issued on Sunday, revealed that the presidential BNC, scheduled for Tuesday, will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on December 2 at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town.
Tinubu and Ramaphosa will engage in substantive talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including bilateral, regional and international matters.
Building on commitments from their June 20 meeting in Johannesburg shortly after Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term in office, the two leaders will review the progress achieved since the 10th session of BNC held in Abuja from November 29 to December 1, 2021.
The 11th session of 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 countries.
The first session at the Heads of State level was held in October 2019 in Pretoria.
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.
Tinubu would return to Abuja at the end of the BNC meeting.
Deji Elumoye
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