South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a lifting of the travel ban imposed on his country and other sister countries.
Ramaphosa said the restriction (which he termed discriminatory) should be reversed to avert long-lasting damage to the economies of the countries affected.
The South African leader said this on Wednesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
He expressed gratitude at the reception and solidarity by the Nigerian government, a gesture he said sends the strongest message.
He adds that both countries have signed 32 agreements which include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of youth development and agreement on audiovisual cooperation, and a programme of cooperation on arts and culture, expected to boost the film production industries in both countries.
The two leaders equally launched two major initiatives during the bi-national commission, a joint Ministerial Advisory Council on trade, investment, and industry, a platform to wade off obstacles on doing business between both countries, and the inauguration of South Africa, Nigeria youth dialogue.
He stressed that the dialogue will further build the capacity of both South African and Nigerian youths across a range of sectors from peacebuilding to conflict resolution.
The South African leader thanked the Nigerian government for showing solidarity with his country, calling for the lifting of the travel ban imposed on his nation and others over the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
According to him, the move, if not reversed, will severely affect the countries’ economies, describing it as discriminatory.
He adds that both countries have signed 32 agreements which include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of youth development and agreement on audiovisual cooperation, and a programme of cooperation on arts and culture, expected to boost the film production industries in both countries.
