It is evident that since independence in 1960, Africa has
remained at the forefront of Nigeria's foreign policy. This nucleus of her
foreign policy saw the country committing her fanatically to decolonization of
the African continent and eradication of racial discrimination and domination.
According to research, the first opportunity for Nigeria to implement her
foreign policy on anticolonialism was provided by the Shapeville massacre of
21st March 1960. During the incident, the white South African police attacked
South African blacks protesting against racial discrimination and
domination." This incident which led to the death of 72 blacks with many
wounded "marked the beginning of Nigeria's diplomatic confrontations with
South Africa. This incidence and other ugly racial incidences in South Africa
saw Nigeria spearheading the call for political and economic sanctions against
the apartheid South Africa in the International Community.
Examples were the suspension of South Africa from the
Commonwealth in 1961 and the imposition of trade embargo under the auspices of
the Organization of African Unity (O.A.U). Nigeria was instrumental to the call
for complete isolation of South Africa by the International Community. As a
result of the pressure mounted by Nigeria and other nations of the world,
Non-government Organizations and influential individuals, the racist regime of
South Africa collapsed in 1991. "With the obituary of apartheid in 1991,
the need for change in diplomatic strategies arose," According to researches.
The degree of the solidarity, support and sacrifice which the government and
people of Nigeria exhibited in the quest for the elimination of apartheid and
the enthronement of democracy and majority rule in South Africa was such that
Nigeria, not minding the geographical distance, became identified as a
frontline state.
Nigeria and South Africa are the emerging giants of Africa.
Politically, both countries are the dominant state entities in their respective
sub-regions. They also have a history of cooperation with, and involvement in,
a range of continental projects like the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD). The two countries have always added their voices in appreciating
the new commitment to African development programmes by the developed world,
and ensure that engagement with the developed world meets Africa's objective of
extricating the continent from underdevelopment. They have also worked closely
on conflict prevention and resolution, the establishment and operationalisation
of the African Union, and put forward a detailed blueprint for sustainable
development for Africa.
Since the inception of democratic rule in Nigeria, South
Africa and Nigeria have had encouraging bilateral economic relations. Since
then, South Africa has emerged among the top investors in many sectors of the
Nigerian economy. South African companies' presence is visible in the Nigerian
economy, especially in areas such as telecommunication, engineering, banking,
retail, hospitality, property development, construction and tourism, to mention
a few. In terms of technology and infrastructure, South Africa has an edge over
Nigeria while Nigeria has an advantage of large market potentials for investments
over South Africa. This is why there are a lot of South African companies with
huge investments in Nigeria.
Through the Nigeria - South Africa bilateral relations, it is
very clear that Nigeria and South Africa have taken the responsibility to be at
the forefront of confronting Africa's endemic developmental challenges. As a
result of the realities of today's fast globalizing and technology-driven
world, it became incumbent on both nations to work towards greater political
and socio-economic integration within Africa.
The presence of many South African investors in Nigeria has
boosted the economies of both counties. This is the result of encouraging
bilateral trade relations that existed between the two nations. The South
African state has not only opened up Nigeria's economy to South African
investments and exports through NEPAD, it has also done so through bilateral
agreements and a Bi-national Commission.
The Africa Export Conference which is designed to hold in Johannesburg, South Africa, will provide participating countries, individuals, exporters and business minds the ideal platform to hear cutting-edge perspectives from wide range of trade expert and exporters, while offering the opportunity to network with industry’s top players. The conference will provide expert’s opinion on how to further regional economic integration across Africa and the implication of policy initiatives aimed at stimulating economic diversification, stability and export growth.
The Africa Export Conference which will be organized by Globe chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is being planned to offer participants from the Africa extraction a platform to expand their business network, meet their competition and get fresh perspectives from a wide range of trade and export experts.
The
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