Kehinde Fajobi
The 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) opened on Monday with a ministerial meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.
The session, co-chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Roland Lamola, is a prelude to Tuesday’s presidential meeting.
President Bola Tinubu and President Cyril Ramaphosa are set to lead discussions at the high-level talks.
The ministerial meeting aims to review progress in bilateral cooperation and finalise agreements for presentation at the presidential session.
Discussions focus on trade and investment, political consultations, migration issues, defence and security, and collaborations in banking, energy, manufacturing, and social sectors.
Nigeria’s delegation includes ministers overseeing Defence, Women Affairs, Industry Trade and Investment, Agriculture and Food Security, and Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service and senior officials also participated.
South African ministers and government officials joined the discussions, which mark the 25th anniversary of the BNC framework designed to strengthen ties between Africa’s two largest economies.