President Bola Tinubu is to continue his international diplomatic engagements with a visit to South Africa, following his ongoing trip to France.
The president is scheduled to leave France on Monday, December 2, 2024, and will arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, where he will co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The BNC session will take place on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, and will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on December 2, 2024, at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town. The two leaders will engage in comprehensive discussions on various matters of mutual interest, encompassing both bilateral and regional issues, as well as international concerns.
The statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, highlighted that the meeting would build on commitments made during a previous engagement between the two leaders on June 20, 2024, in Johannesburg. During this earlier meeting, following President Ramaphosa’s re-election for a second term, both presidents reviewed the progress achieved since the 10th BNC session held in Abuja in late 2021.
The 11th session of the BNC will feature deliberations across eight key working groups, focusing on specific areas of cooperation. These include political consultations, consular and migration matters, banking and finance, defence and security, manufacturing, the social sector, mines and energy, and trade and investments.
In addition, several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements are expected to be signed by officials from both countries during the session, aimed at strengthening the partnership between Nigeria and South Africa across these critical areas.