ABUJA —Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu on Monday expressed Nigeria’s readiness to expand its strategic partnership with South Africa across diverse fields, particularly in infrastructure development and capacity building in the mining sector.
Speaking at the opening of 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission, BNC, ministerial session in Cape Town, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigeria will present a draft Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, for collaboration with South on the certification of Nigerian mining geologists and other professionals in the field.
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The meeting co-chaired by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Roland Lamola is a precursor to Tuesday’s presidential BNC where President Bola Tinubu and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa will jointly lead discussion
The Nigerian minister said: ”I must stress that Nigeria is prepared to explore new vistas of cooperation with the Republic of South Africa in various fields.
”Apart from exploring opportunities in the co-financing of infrastructural projects capable of benefiting our two economies, we are seeking collaboration with South Africa in capacity development in the area of certification of Nigerian mining geologists and other professionals in that field.
”To this end, we have prepared a draft MOU for the consideration of South Africa.
”We hope that the derivable benefits from this arrangement would help to enhance the capacity of our mining professionals to become globally competitive.’’
The ministerial session will agree on the minutes from the working groups on the thematic areas and a draft communique to be adopted at the presidential level BNC.
The 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.
She urged the delegates to the meeting to maintain a high spirit until the end of the process while underscoring the strategic nature of Nigeria-South Africa bilateral relations and a shared belief in their common destiny as leading economies on the continent.
According to her: ”The BNC owes a lot of promises for the future off Nigeria, South Africa relations and we have got many more miles to go. Let us therefore approach it with zest and faith.
”Together, we shall win for our respective countries and for Africa . I look forward to working alongside my co-chair, Honorable Lamola to make today’s proceedings and that of our principals a resounding success.”
Nigeria’s delegation to the ministerial meeting include 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 and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs 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.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation emphasized the strong diplomatic ties between the two countries, which have existed for 30 years, following decades of Nigeria’s relentless support for the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
He said, ”This is a gesture we will always cherish.”
The minister called for the expansion of trade relations within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to reflect the potential for growth.
”Whilst we have made progress in achieving our objectives, it is also apparent that we need work even more to realize our goals to the mutual benefit of both our nations, one of the overriding imperatives of our bilateral relations is the need to increase our investment and trade relations to higher levels.
”The relatively large size of our economy logically dictates that our economic collaboration should be yielding much bigger results to galvanize economic cooperation and to build upon the already established sectors that both our investors have in our markets.
”The identification of bankable projects, particularly in infrastructure development, is one of the key priorities we should jointly pursue,” he said.
Lamola acknowledged the historical responsibility of both nations to promote peace and dialogue globally, expressing concern over regional conflicts and the need for reform of international institutions like the United Nations.
On South Africa’s upcoming G20 presidency in 2025, the minister assured that it will serve as an avenue to project African developmental priorities.