In order to co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission with President Cyril Ramaphosa, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will leave France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa.

A ministerial meeting is slated for December 2, 2024, in the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town, and will be followed by the presidential Bi-National Commission on Tuesday, December 3.

In a statement issued on Sunday, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga stated that Tinubu and Ramaphosa will have in-depth talks on issues of mutual interest on a bilateral, regional, and global level.

“Building on the commitments from their meeting on June 20, 2024, in Johannesburg, shortly after President Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term in office, the two leaders will review the progress made since the 10th session of the BNC held in Abuja from November 29 to December 1, 2021.

“The 11th session of the BNC will feature deliberations across eight working groups, each focusing on a specific area of mutual interest. These include political consultations, consular and migration, banking and finance, defence and security, manufacturing, social sector, mines and energy, and trade and investments.

“At the high-level meeting, officials of both countries will sign several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements,” Onanuga said.

Founded in 1999, the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission seeks to deepen the two countries’ friendship and collaboration. The inaugural Heads of State session took place in Pretoria in October 2019.

The BNC offers a forum for maintaining high-level discussions and encouraging cooperation in vital fields including trade, economic growth, security, and diplomacy.

“This year’s meeting is particularly significant as it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Commission, a testament to the enduring friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa. President Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising state governors, ministers, and senior government officials. He will return to the country after the BNC meeting,” Onanuga added.

On Sunday, South Africa will become the first African nation to chair the G20, but its emphasis on topics like climate change and equitable growth runs the danger of colliding with the harsh realities of trade disputes and diplomatic tensions.

With South Africa taking the helm a year after the African Union was accepted as a permanent member of the G20, it is viewed as a chance to advance policy areas that are essential to the growth of the continent.

Priorities mentioned by President Cyril Ramaphosa include climate change, food security, artificial intelligence, and inclusive economic growth; further information is anticipated next week.

Ramaphosa has stated that his nation will aim to expand on the efforts of its predecessors, making South Africa the fourth emerging market to take over the G20 presidency, which is rotated yearly, following Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

Donald Trump, whose incoming government has promised to impose stringent trade taxes on countries like Canada, Mexico, and China, has sparked concerns about trade wars. The United States will assume power in December 2025.

Additionally, Trump has threatened to undo the climate-related programs he would inherit from President Joe Biden and has essentially disregarded the scientific consensus about the influence of human activity on climate change.

“It will be important for South Africa to ensure that it consolidates positions of the Global South and hands over to the U.S. a solid legacy on issues to avoid the U.S. and Global North diluting or undermining the whole agenda of the Global South,” said David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

The G20 was created to promote international economic cooperation and consists of 19 independent countries in addition to the European and African Unions. It accounts for 67% of the world’s population, 75% of global trade, and 85% of the world economy.

Global polarisation, however, makes the G20’s professed goal more difficult to achieve, since members like the US, China, and Russia are openly at odds over trade and conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine, and other places.

Rating agencies and the International Monetary Fund have cautioned that trade policies that are becoming more protectionist pose a threat to global growth and may disproportionately affect developing market economies.