By Fatima Saka
Nigeria and countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have agreed to deepen economic and institutional cooperation, with Nigeria pushing for visa regimes that facilitate rather than hinder movement, trade and interaction among citizens, businesses and institutions across both regions.
The commitment was made on Wednesday, when the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, received a delegation of Ambassadors and High Commissioners of SADC member states accredited to Nigeria at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Dean of the SADC Ambassadors in Nigeria, Ambassador Maxwell Ranga, who congratulated Enikanolaiye on his appointment and expressed the delegation’s readiness to work with him to strengthen relations between Nigeria and Southern Africa.
Ranga commended the longstanding solidarity between Nigeria and the Southern African region, particularly Nigeria’s historic role, alongside other Frontline States, in the liberation struggles that contributed to the independence and freedom of countries subjected to colonialism and apartheid.
He identified significant opportunities for expanded cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and industrial development, while noting that growing people-to-people exchanges between Nigeria and the region could be leveraged for mutual benefit.
Responding, Enikanolaiye said Nigeria was interested in learning from the experiences and comparative advantages of SADC countries, particularly in mineral beneficiation, industrial value addition, tourism and agriculture.
He said stronger collaboration in these areas could deliver tangible economic benefits to both regions while promoting institutional partnerships capable of translating available economic opportunities into practical initiatives.
The Minister stressed the need to ensure that visa regimes between Nigeria and Southern Africa facilitated greater interaction among citizens, businesses and institutions rather than becoming obstacles to deeper regional relations.
He also called for regular consultations among African countries, particularly ahead of major multilateral engagements, saying more frequent ministerial and official-level consultations would help African countries develop common positions and strengthen the continent’s collective voice at international fora.
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing existing Joint Commission mechanisms with a view to revitalising dormant agreements and establishing a framework for more regular and comprehensive bilateral consultations.
Enikanolaiye said such mechanisms would provide an effective platform for reviewing cooperation across political, economic, social and other areas of mutual interest.
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The Minister expressed appreciation to the SADC Ambassadors and High Commissioners for the engagement, describing it as an important opportunity to reignite and further strengthen relations between Nigeria and the Southern African region.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to maintain open channels of communication and work closely with SADC member states in advancing shared interests while promoting African unity, integration and prosperity.
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