Ramaphosa & Tinubu reaffirm SA-Nigeria ties but say more needs to be done

CAPE TOWN - South Africa and Nigeria have reaffirmed their close ties and solidarity at the 11th session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) between the countries.

While President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu recognised the decades-long diplomatic ties, they’ve called for more investment between the two countries.

Ramaphosa and Tinubu co-chaired the session aimed at deepening economic and diplomatic ties between the two biggest economies on the continent.

President Ramaphosa spent most of Tuesday engaged in the country’s international affairs, from launching the country's G20 presidency as well as the bi-national engagement with Nigeria.

On the country's relationship with Nigeria, Ramaphosa said that more needed to be done.

"But there is much more that we need to do in this regard. We need to remove the remaining constraints for greater investment."

He also called for simplified visa requirements to make doing business easier.

"Our efforts to create a favourable environment include our simplified visa process for Nigerian business people to travel to South Africa."

Ramaphosa said South Africa would remain "forever grateful" to Nigeria for its leading role in the fight against apartheid.