The 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) commenced on Monday with a ministerial meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

The meeting, co-chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, 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 President Cyril Ramaphosa will jointly lead discussions.

The ministerial session provides a platform to review progress in bilateral cooperation across various sectors and finalize 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 includes 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.