President Tinubu Departs France for South Africa

President Bola Tinubu is set to depart France on Monday, December 2, 2024, for Cape Town, South Africa. The President will co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the presidential session of the BNC is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3. A ministerial meeting will precede this event on Monday, December 2, at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town.

The two leaders will engage in comprehensive discussions on key issues of mutual interest, covering bilateral, regional, and international matters. The meeting will build on commitments made during their previous engagement on June 20, 2024, in Johannesburg, shortly after President Ramaphosa began his second term. They will also evaluate progress achieved since the 10th session of the BNC, held in Abuja from November 29 to December 1, 2021.

This year’s BNC will feature deliberations across eight working groups focusing on political consultations, consular and migration issues, banking and finance, defense and security, manufacturing, social sector initiatives, mines and energy, as well as trade and investments. The meeting will also see the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding and agreements between officials of both nations.

Established in 1999, the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission aims to strengthen cooperation and friendship between the two countries. The first session at the Heads of State level took place in October 2019 in Pretoria. This year’s meeting holds additional significance as it marks the Commission’s 25th anniversary, symbolizing a quarter-century of robust bilateral relations.

President Tinubu’s delegation will include state governors, ministers, and senior government officials. This will be his second trip to South Africa in 2024 and his 33rd international trip since assuming office 18 months ago.

So far, President Tinubu has spent 135 days abroad, visiting 17 countries and logging approximately 285 flight hours. Countries visited include France (five times), the United Kingdom (four times), the United States, Brazil, Saudi Arabia (twice), and South Africa, among others.

After the BNC meeting, the President is expected to return to Nigeria.