Nigeria's partnership with South Africa "made in heaven", minister says
Onyeama believes Buhari's visit to South Africa will have significant impact on Nigerians and South Africans.
The Minister of Foreign Afffairs, Geoffrey Onyeama (left) is part of President Muhammadu Buhari's three-day state visit to South Africa, a visit that commenced on October 2, 2019 [Green Reporters]
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The minister said this during an interview with SABC just before President Muhammadu Buhari met with South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
Buhari landed in South Africa on Wednesday, October 2 to commence a three-day state visit with the welfare of Nigerians in South Africa the central issue.
The visit is coming a month after Nigerian businesses were attacked by rioting local South African mobs who looted and burnt the places of business of foreigners early in September.
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Speaking on the importance of Buhari's visit, Onyeama said it'll have economic, social, technological and cultural impact on Nigerians and South Africans.
He said, "We believe it's a partnership made in heaven.
"The two countries are very complimentary in the resources we have, the values that we both share, the governance architecture of our two countries, and coming together, the two largest economies in Africa.
"We believe it's an absolute win-win for the two countries and the people of the two countries.
"We're looking at transforming our countries with sustainable economic development...and also the continent.
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"We believe that these are the two powerhouses on the continent and that we can transform the desitiny of Africa and the people of Africa."
![Buhari (left) and Ramaphosa (right) agreed to strengthen relations between Nigeria and South Africa during a meeting on Thursday, October 3, 2019 [AFP]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'768'%20height%3D'525'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Buhari (left) and Ramaphosa (right) agreed to strengthen relations between Nigeria and South Africa during a meeting on Thursday, October 3, 2019 [AFP]")
Buhari (left) and Ramaphosa (right) agreed to strengthen relations between Nigeria and South Africa during a meeting on Thursday, October 3, 2019 [AFP]
AFP
September's attacks on Nigerians, and other African foreigners, caused diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa as hundreds were evacuated back to Nigeria last month.
While speaking on Thursday, Buhari condemned the attacks and called for the strengthening and implementation of all necessary measures to prevent a recurrence which he said would threaten the relationship between both countries.
Buhari further noted that his administration has made doing business in Nigeria easier and created more opportunities for foreign investors.
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He called on Ramaphosa to do the same and open up South Africa's market space for Nigerians willing to do business in the country.
He said the relationship between both countries will continue to be anchored on regular consultation, collaboration and cooperation.
While speaking during a joint business forum later on Thursday, Ramaphosa said Buhari's visit will herald meaningful changes for both countries.
"We'll see two countries that are not afraid to deal with challenges and problems," he said.
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