President Bola Tinubu is currently in discussions with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, focusing on diplomatic, economic, and bilateral matters.
The meeting was announced by Olusegun Dada, a presidential aide, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu receives South Africa President @CyrilRamaphosa for Diplomatic, Economic and Bilateral talks after a successful Presidential Inauguration Ceremony,” Dada shared in his post.
President Tinubu traveled to South Africa to attend Ramaphosa’s inauguration. Ramaphosa was re-elected following a historic coalition deal between the governing African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties.
The new government is a coalition of the ANC, the Democratic Alliance (DA)—the main opposition party—and several smaller parties. This coalition was necessitated by the ANC losing its controlling majority in the recent elections, marking an end to its 30-year rule since the end of apartheid.
On Wednesday, a video went viral showing Ramaphosa seemingly ignoring Tinubu at the inauguration, causing a stir on social media. The presidency clarified that the video was taken out of context.
The last meeting between Tinubu and Ramaphosa occurred in New York at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2023. During that meeting, Tinubu emphasized the importance of deepening economic ties between Nigeria and South Africa.
The ongoing talks between Tinubu and Ramaphosa are expected to strengthen diplomatic and economic relationships between the two nations, building on their previous engagements and addressing current bilateral issues.