11TH SESSION OF THE NIGERIA-SOUTH AFRICA BI-NATIONAL COMMISSION COMMENCS 02-12-24
By Sadiq Aminu The 11th Session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC), has commenced with a ministerial meeting at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
The meeting, 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 tomorrow’s (Tuesday) Presidential BNC, where President Bola Tinubu and President Cyril Ramaphosa will jointly lead discussions.
The Ministerial Session provides a platform to review progress in bilateral co-operation across various sectors and finalise agreements to be presented during the Presidential BNC.
Key areas under discussion include trade and investment, political consultations, consular and migration matters, defence and security co-operation, as well as collaboration in banking, energy, manufacturing, and the social sector.
Nigeria’s delegation to the ministerial meeting includes Ministers of State, Defence, Women Affairs, Industry Trade and Investments, Agriculture and Food Security, Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, alongside the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
They were joined by their South African counterparts and senior government officials from both nations.
This year’s Bi-National Commission marks the 25th anniversary of the framework established to strengthen ties between Africa’s two leading economies.