By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to depart France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa.
Tinubu is heading to South Africa to co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga, in the statement, said the presidential Bi-National Commission scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, will follow a ministerial meeting planned for December 2 2024, at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town.
The senior presidential aide further explained that Tinubu and Ramaphosa would hold substantive discussions on bilateral, regional, and international matters of mutual interest.
The statement reads in part: “Building on the commitments from their meeting on June 20, 2024, in Johannesburg, shortly after President Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term in office, the two leaders will review the progress made 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,” Onanuga said.
The New Diplomat reports that the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission, established in 1999, aims to 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 fostering collaboration in critical areas such as diplomacy, trade, security, and economic development.
It would be recalled that Tinubu is currently in France on a three-day state visit.
The Nigerian President arrived in Paris, France on the invitation of Macron.
The two leaders met officially on Thursday at the historic Invalides Memorial Complex.
