Tinubu departs Paris for South Africa

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 (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.

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.

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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.

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,

He will return to the country after the BNC meeting.