President Bola Tinubu is set to depart France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa, where he will co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This was disclosed in a statement signed on Sunday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
The statement, titled “President Tinubu to co-chair 11th session of the bi-national commission with President Ramaphosa,” highlighted key details of the meeting.
Onanuga 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.”
Tinubu and Ramaphosa are expected to engage in comprehensive discussions covering bilateral, regional, and global issues.
The meeting will also serve as a progress review since their last encounter in Johannesburg on June 20, 2024, shortly after Ramaphosa’s second-term inauguration.
The upcoming session will feature deliberations across eight working groups, addressing areas such as political consultations, consular and migration issues, banking and finance, defense and security, manufacturing, social development, mining and energy, as well as trade and investments.
As part of the high-level engagements, several Memoranda of Understanding and agreements will be signed by officials from both countries.
Established in 1999, the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission aims to foster stronger ties and cooperation.
The inaugural session at the Heads of State level took place in Pretoria in October 2019.
This year’s meeting holds special significance, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Commission, a milestone that underscores the enduring relationship between the two nations. “A testament to the enduring friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa,” the Presidency noted.
Accompanying Tinubu will be a high-profile delegation, including state governors, ministers, and senior government officials.
The trip marks Tinubu’s second visit to South Africa in 2024 and his 33rd international trip since assuming office 18 months ago. In total, he has spent 135 days abroad, visiting 17 countries and logging approximately 285 flight hours.
His destinations so far include five visits to Paris, France; four to London, United Kingdom; two each to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and single visits to locations such as Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Porto-Novo, Benin Republic; and more.
Following the conclusion of the BNC, Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria.
