By Ken Afor
As part of activities lined up for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Nigerian leader met with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday and acquainted him with investment opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector that South African firms should explore.
In a statement by the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu noted how some South African firms in Nigeria are doing remarkably well particularly in the telecoms sector with turnover running into billions of dollars.
A venture into Nigeria’s solid minerals industry by South African firms in minerals exploration, according to the president, would be of benefit to the two countries.
“We have to be careful not to replace the broken shackle of yesterday with a new set of shackles. You can not have a stable democracy in the presence of a poverty of knowledge and a starvation of people. Democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume us, if care is not taken,” the president was quoted as saying by Ngelale.
“We must join hands and agree that International Finance Institutions require reform as Africa is not to be a ground for economic scavenging any longer, but it is a place with gifted people that is ready for investment and cooperation.
“We have all the human and natural resources required between our nations. We can collaborate in a mutually beneficial way that enriches our populations. South African Mining industries have a role to play in the Nigerian solid minerals development sector. Your business community has done well in Nigerian Telecommunications. We have great mineral wealth across our land, and you have good expertise in this area. We expect to deliver jobs and mutually beneficial results in this area as brother and sister countries,” the President affirmed.
Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa in his response to Tinubu’s proposal admitted that Nigeria and South Africa are two countries with huge economic potentials and assured that he would work towards strengthening economic ties.
He said, “We are two major economies on our continent, and it is important that we deepen economic ties, particularly in light of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. We are very keen on the deepening of our economic relations.
“We would love to see Nigeria and South Africa working closely together on a number of issues because whenever we join hands, we have made an impact globally through those joint positions.
“Together, we can move the global south forward. We are a continent that has been plundered. And wealthy nations made so much of it from us, and we must seek out partners who will help us to advance our own interests,” the South African President emphasized.
On Tinubu’s efforts in stabilising the political terrain in West Africa, Ramaphosa lauded his contribution particularly during the heat of political crisis in Niger.
The South African leader said there is much to learn in the peace process in the region which should be implemented in his country.
“We believe that we have a lot to learn from ECOWAS and its unity in reaching consensus positions on sub-regional matters. This is something we seek to emulate in the Southern African sub-region in view of events in Mozambique and other areas,” President Ramaphosa said.
President Tinubu however, urged leaders on the continent to take charge of their resources.
“Our continent is the last untapped ground for accelerated, massive growth and new economic opportunity on earth. We must be in charge of our own resources, and we must work to use each other effectively to achieve what is best for all of us, Mr. President. We look forward to an era of economically productive relationships,” the Nigerian leader concluded.
