THE 11th session of Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) started on Monday with a ministerial meeting at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
The meeting is co-chaired by Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Dr Roland Lamola, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement.
The ministerial meeting is a precursor to Tuesday’s 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 cooperation 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 cooperation, and collaboration in banking, energy, manufacturing and the social sector.
Nigeria’s delegation to the ministerial meeting include ministers of state for defence, women affairs, industry, trade and investments, agriculture and food security, communication, innovation and digital ekoconomy, alongside the comptroller-general, 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.
