It took last March's diplomatic row over the Yellow Fever vaccination document for Nigeria and South Africa to finally pull themselves out of the brink to mend fences as two continental giants which have a duty to cooperate (and not antagonise one another) and take the lead in the much talked about African renaissance.THE eighth session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Convention (BNC), which just ended in Cape Town, South Africa is meant to resuscitate all moribund issues after the row which led to reciprocal deportation of nationals from both shores, revealed that their earlier collaborations using the BNC's instrumentality have never received any practical sail beyond signature on papers that lie in shelves.So much was expected of the BNC given its precursor. In the end, both countries signed a subsisting Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on economic and technical co-operation.Also endorsed was the MoU on mutual administrative assistance on Customs matters. Considering their pre-eminent positions on the continent, relations between Nigeria and South Africa are regarded as strategic by diplomats and investment facilitators.Both under the Trade, Industry and Finance Working group, the aim of the former is to provide a framework for collaboration on all economic matters in the bilateral relationships, spanning industrial cooperation, trade and technical cooperation. While the latterhelps the cause of the investment promotion and protection as well as the need to make the Joint Presidential Council on Investment (JPCI) become operational.There were however a number of issues in the Foreign Affairs and Cooperation as well as Defence and Security Working groups over which implementation plan was put forward subject to further input, essentials capturing and refinement. To be included here are the issues of communication under the Trade and Investment Facilitation sub-head, following the presentation bySouth Africa of a draft MoU on Information and Communications Technology (ICT).All through the period that negotiations lasted at the Pavilion Centre, in Cape Town, the foreign Affairs and Cooperation Working group was enmeshed in a dogged fight for the draft agreement on waivers of visas for holders of diplomatic and official passports. This had only been partially acceded to by South Africa when the country's officials settled for a three-year waiver after the last BNC in 2008. The implementation committee, which is the engine room has met twice after that session.Visa waivers of the sort brings back memories of the initial arrangement within the commonwealth of nations when citizens of the commonwealth did not require visas to go to Great Britain.How other critical issues fared. Generally, the BNC made far-reaching recommendations meant for implementation by the other working groups, which include Agriculture, Water Resources and Environment, Public Enterprises and Infrastructure as well as Social and Technical.Both parties however noted that the Defence Cooperation Agreement expired in March 2011 and that there currently exists no legal instrument governing co-operation between the two defence establishments. The South Africa counterparts were also not in attendance in the field of Arts and Culture whereas an agreement of cooperation had been signed on April 14, 2001. The agreement signed in 2008 in the area of Tourism was held to still be valid and would expire in 2013.There were also other issues that did not quite come up in declarations but had strongly resonated in plenary sessions. These include how to get Nigerian banks registered in South Africa as well as formalising the training of former Niger Delta militants.The lop-sidedness of investments from both sides of the divide raised serious concerns. Nigerian banks are held to be doing very well elsewhere on the continent. The Nigerian side pushed for financial operations regulations to be made friendlier for entrance of Nigerian banks into Africa's largest economy.Although the balance of trade is in Nigeria's favour because of the volume of oil South Africa imports but Nigeria has not been able to match the close to 100 South African firmsoperating on her shores leading to reports that there currently exists in South Africa, some unfriendly investment laws seemingly targeted at Nigerian businesses and investors.Many of the estimated 1.5 million Nigerians in South Africa are said to be profiled by host authorities just as a whole lot of professionals do stay unmolested. However, experts have variously put this down to a skewed perception of the Nigerian in South Africa, which is different from official government policy.By the time the BNC reached its high point, co- chair and Nigeria's Vice President Nnamadi Sambo had a full complement of Nigerian bureaucrats for an endorsement of the agreed points of the working groups. Besides the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, also on hand were the ministers of Defence, Trade and Industry as well as Mines, the governors of Rivers and Kebbi states Rotimi Amaechi and Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari. Sambo then met behind closed doors with the South Africa President Jacob Zuma.Speaking on the issue of training of the repentant militants of the Niger Delta, Ashiru told The Guardian. 'The working group covering that has reached commendable understanding with its South African counterpart. It is agreed they continue to take them (former militants). But up till now, there has been no framework for this. We want to now regulate this. South Africa demanded that we bring a draft MoU, which is patterned after the TAC (Technical Aids Corps) arrangement.'When Sambo signed the final BNC document alongside his co-chair-Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Montlanthe, both countries had agreed to cooperate in the removal of all impediments to free access and to business. Sambo described the meetings as successful and expressed optimism that the relevant agencies in both countries would implement the tenets of the BNC faithfully.Sambo also noted: ''We will explore new and deepen existing areas of cooperation to include collaboration in the fight against emerging security challenges like international terrorism, cybercrime and even human trafficking....We cannot afford to relent considering the fast pace at which the world is moving. There are high hopes and aspirations of other African countries in Nigeria and South Africa as catalysts for growth and sustainable development of the continent. Nigeria welcomes more South African investors in infrastructure development, mining and solid minerals, value chain in agriculture, oil and gas and energy, as part of our efforts towards the achievement of our objective of Vision 20:2020, the medium-term blue print for our national development.'What has become imperative as nations do strategic business with each other according Sambo is that 'African nations must do business with each other as well as invest in each other's economy. I believe that an increase in trade and investment between our two countries will provide the necessary tonic that can fuel the long-term growth of our continent. In this regards, our counties must both work tirelessly to drive the early realisation of African integration agenda. In our efforts to create a borderless Africa, we must together move this our relationship beyond government and institutions. We must encourage private sector participation, people-to-people interaction as a conscious effort to create better understanding and awareness among our people about our inextricable future and ourselves as Africans with the rich cultural history.'Also speaking in similar vein, Ashiru hailed the new spirit with which Africa's economic giants are now working together.According to him, 'the mere fact that meetings of cooperation are now to be held regularly is part of the achievements of the BNC'This is a new beginning of better things to comethe way of our citizens and especially the ripple effect to be gained with private sector participation.'Earlier, the director Africa Bilateral Affairs Department (ABAD) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olabode Adekeye, who responded to the opening statement by South African Deputy Director-General, Africa Bilateral, Department of International Relations and Co-operation Gladys Sonto Kudjoe, said that Nigeria and South Africa need the visa waiver arrangement 'to achieve in terms of better collaboration and economic empowerment of citizens of our country.'Both the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Kingsley Mamabolo and his Nigerian counterpart at the Mission in Pretoria Sunni Yusuf, expressed high hopes that delegates and senior officials working on the desired BNC would engage the MoUs signed for the economic advancement of their citizens.Eventually, negotiation meant for aviation was knocked off the agenda owing to the absence of the working groups in that sector. Before the curtain fell on the BNC, both sides also tidied up what is regarded as a beneficial schedule for an impending state visit by President Goodluck Jonathan as a toast to better relations between the two countries.
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