President Bola Tinubu has said that the collaboration and cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa must be intensified and deepened.
At the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting in Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday, the Nigerian leader explained that working together is informed by the historial responsibilities both countries owe to Africa and its people, saying that the collaboration is “not a matter of choice but of a destiny”.
Since its establishment in 1999, the BNC has produced three dozens of Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements, which are already in operation.
President Tinubu said: “I must, however, sound a note of caution. Let us not count our successes by the number of MoUs and agreements signed. They will be mere papers until we implement them. This is the job of our senior officials and I must implore them to redouble their efforts in this regard.”
He also spoke about his desire to accelerate youth development, explaining that the framework must take cognisance of the huge youth population in both countries., adding: “I am pleased to note that this framework has achieved a lot. My desire is that we accelerate the aspects that relate to youth development.
“Outside of abundant natural resources, human resources is our most precious resource: the huge youth population our two countries harbour. A demography that must be tended, invested in, and have their skills and potentials harvested for development”.
“My government has built an inclusive government in which young people are now in charge of some of the key sectors of the economy. Believing the future for them starts now. Let us connect Nigerian Youth and South African Youth and leverage their potentials for development”.
The Nigerian leader urged the BNC to explore at this edition the establishment of an anti-illegal mining group of African nations. President Tinubu said: “Our natural resources are supposed to be mined for the betterment of our people. However, there seems to be a concerted effort flowing in the opposite direction.
“Throughout Africa, illegal mining is not only robbing our nations of precious income, which could foster development. Sponsored by powerful outside forces, such mining is fomenting strife, servitude, poverty environmental degradation and undermining the writ of legitimate government. We can not allow this inland piracy to become a scourge to our good and healthy designs for our people. South Africa and Nigeria should and must take the lead in placing this issue before the global community and in resolving it for the good of our continent and its people”.
He further said that many South African companies, including MTN and Multichoice have found home in Nigeria, just as Dangote, Access Bank and some other Nigeria companies are also making significant impact in South Africa. “I can not pretend that all has gone satisfactorily well. I, however, believe we can identify the gaps and challenges, including persistent irritants in our relations, and deal with them appropriately. To me, this is the real essence of the BNC.
“Together, we can act as engines of economic integration and development in our respective sub-regions as well as on the continent.
We also have a strong role to play in the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to the benefit of the entire continent.
“The continent looks up to us, and we cannot afford to fail them.
“We need to leverage the potentials of this partnership to strengthen economic, political, business to business, as well as people to people relationships between our two countries, bearing in mind the tremendous benefits it promises”, President Tinubu said.
He said that the successes of both Nigeria and South Africa would change the negative narratives “of seeing Africa as a continent marred by poverty and conflict with leaders unable to offer the kind of transformational reform the continent deserves.
“As the adage goes ‘the glory of the eagle does not please the kite’, let us remain mindful of the overt and covert hostilities that the success of our partnership will attract. If we are vigilant, committed and persistent, we will surely soar like the eagles over the reach of predators.
“So, we must remain strongly united on purpose”.
President Tinubu said that Nigeria would like to join South Africa and the African Union in the G20 in order to strengthen the African voice in the group and globally.
He further said: “As South Africa assumes the presidency of the G20, we urge that the position be leveraged for the development of our continent.
“This high-level strategic partnership between South Africa must become a model of leadership and shared vision that will inspire and take our people into a brighter and greater future of prosperity and development, an Africa That We Want”.
