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Abuja – It is no secret that the two superpowers of Africa do not agree.
Nigeria and South Africa – for the shared love of Pan-African rhetoric by their leaders – see themselves competing for continental supremacy, and this has resulted in a difficult relationship and difficult between the two governments.
But Cyril Ramaphosa wants to improve things.
"South Africa and Nigeria meet at the hip whether we like it or not – we take advantage of these opportunities to improve the relationship between us," South African President told the crowd on Wednesday in Abuja shortly before meeting with his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari.
Proof of South Africa's commercial interests Nigeria is visible everywhere in the quiet capital of Nigeria: giant billboards announce MTN's data offerings (1.5 GB for only R37 ); South African private security companies patrol outside luxury hotels; there are Shoprite supermarkets and Standard Bank ATMs (known as Stanbic); and the World Cup is broadcast on SuperSport
Ramaphosa pointed out that the timing of this state visit was meant to be a sign of great respect. "It's my first visit outside of SADC [the Southern African Development Community] except for the G7.
It's a working visit to come to Nigeria, and I've made it a specific problem. I want to see relations between South Africa and Nigeria improve exponentially, "he said.
A good feeling, but it will not be easy, said Dianna Games, executive director of the SA-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce.] "Relations between Nigerians and South Africans at the professional level are generally warm but at some levels, the relationship is stuck in a negative narrative that highlights the challenges between countries rather than the benefits of working together. These include the fact that Nigerians feel unwelcome in South Africa because of sporadic attacks on foreigners, and often point to the commercial benefits of many South African firms in Nigeria and the lack of Nigerian brands in South Africa. South Africa as evidence of an unequal relationship, "Said Games."
Xenophobic attacks against Nigerian nationals on South African soil are a particularly sensitive issue In 2015, Abuja briefly recalled his ambbadador to Africa South Africa in protest, condemning "the ongoing xenophobia in South Africa targeting foreigners."
Ramaphosa, along with his ministers of police and security, sought to rebadure his hosts. "L & # 39; South Africa belongs to all those who live there, that they were born in South Africa, of Nigerian descent, of Ghanaian origin … so we want these people to have the security and the safety . Yes, South Africans have been exposed to dangerous environments, have been exposed to crime, and we have always had a number of challenges in this regard. To make an overlay, we had a huge unemployment problem, and people tended to react in a way to protect their own interests, and expressed their fears and worries by xenophobic attacks against others. people. We will act against those who seek to attack anyone because of their race, origin, or appearance, "he said.
There are other more practical issues that must be addressed. also be addressed and it would be in the interest of both countries.
"Countries have different things to offer and exploit their different competitive advantages in a collaborative way can only be beneficial for both. According to some, in Nigeria, South Africa is not open to Nigerian investment, but this is not a reality. Nigerian investors go where they see the commercial advantage and the potential for good profits, as do South Africans. More could be done to address the real issues that affect economic collaboration, rather than perceived problems, and this should include sharing of market information, entry requirements, and potential areas of collaboration at the level of collaboration. public and private. 19659014] (function (d, s, id) {
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