Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari;
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Members of the Media;

Good day to you all,
 
Allow me to start by extending our sincere gratitude to His Excellency, President Buhari for inviting us to visit this beautiful country.
 
We thank you Mr President for your warm welcome and the legendary Nigerian hospitality extended to us since our arrival.
 
I am happy to be here with my delegation which comprises both Ministers and business.

We feel truly at home in Nigeria. The relations between South Africa and Nigeria date back to the time when Nigeria supported and contributed to the liberation of our country and people.
 
Our brothers and sisters here were determined that they would not rest until South Africa was free.   
 
That history binds our two countries and informs our bilateral cooperation.
 
It is in part due to this memorable and rich history that I accepted the invitation from my Dear Brother, President Buhari.
 
We have had very fruitful discussions today, as we reviewed various bilateral and multilateral issues.
 
We have noted with satisfaction the ever growing cooperation in many sectors including trade and investment; defence and security; immigration matters; energy; mineral resources, to mention but a few.
 
We have recognised the important role played by the South Africa-Nigeria Binational Commission since its inception in 1999.  
 
As we forge a strategic partnership between the two sister nations, we have decided to elevate the Bi-National Commission (BNC) to the level of Heads of State.
 
In this way my Brother and I will be able to lead as well as monitor progress in various areas of cooperation.
 
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen;
 
Our two countries have signed over 30 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding.
 
These agreements cover a wide range of cooperation areas including trade and industry, transport, energy, defence and security and immigration among others.
  
We have directed the relevant Ministers to move with speed in implementing all signed agreements.
 
We have also directed our Ministers to identify joint projects in the key high impact strategic development areas, which will have socio-economic benefits such as employment creation to our peoples.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
We welcome the increased economic cooperation and trade relations between our two countries over the past decade. Nigeria is South Africa’s key trading partner on the continent.
 
Prior to 1999, there were only four South African companies in Nigeria. Since 1999, the situation has changed dramatically.

Over one hundred and twenty companies are currently doing business in Nigeria, in various sectors, mainly telecommunications, banking, retail, property, entertainment and hospitality. We welcome this significant development.
 
We also see great potential in boosting tourism between the two countries. According to Statistics South Africa, an average of 4000 Nigerians travelled to South Africa on a monthly basis in 2015.

In order to promote South Africa as a tourist destination in both the vast Nigerian market and in the West African region as a whole, a Tourism Office was opened in Lagos in January 2014 by Ministers of Tourism of both countries.

We also encourage South Africans as to tour Nigeria so that we can improve understanding and the appreciation of one another’s culture and way of life.

It is important for us to structure our economic cooperation. In this regard, the South Africa-Nigeria Business Forum has been organised comprising of high level business delegations from both countries.
 
We urge our private sector to invest in the respective countries and help create job opportunities and improve the quality of life.
 
From our side as Government, we have committed ourselves to create an enabling environment and to ease the manner of doing business in our respective countries.
 
We have also exchanged views on the current regional political, economic and security situation.
 
With regard to continental developments, we discussed issues related to peace and security in the continent.

We noted with great concern the challenges posed by terrorism and extremist groups that continue to affect some of our countries on the continent, including Nigeria.
 
We condemn in the strongest possible terms all forms of terrorism and extremism.
 
During our discussions, we reiterated the need for joint regional and continental efforts towards countering these negative elements.

Considering our commitment to finding African solutions to African problems, we have agreed to work together to deal with these challenges.
 
In conclusion, we reiterated our common position on the need to reform the multilateral institutions, including the United Nations Security Council to better represent the interests of the developing world.
 
I am truly happy to be in Nigeria on this first State Visit. I thank His excellency the President, the government and people of Nigeria for the warm hospitality.
 
I thank you.
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria