South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in Nigeria’s Presidential election.
He also praised Nigerians for their patience after the elections were delayed by a week and their peaceful conduct during the elections, a statement by the South African Presidency said on Wednesday.
In his congratulatory message, the South African President expressed his commitment to working closely with President Buhari’s government “to enhance the good bilateral relations which exist between South Africa and Nigeria, paying particular focus on the strengthening of economic cooperation”.
According to him, South Africa and Nigeria enjoy good political, economic and social relations formally established in 1994, immediately after South Africa’s first democratic elections.
“The two countries have thus far signed 34 bilateral agreements covering various areas such as arts and culture, education, agriculture, trade and investment, mining, defence, policing, immigration, taxation, science and technology, health, tourism, environment and energy,” the statement read in part.
In July 2018, a few months after he succeeded Jacob Zuma, the South Africa President had visited Nigeria and met with President Buhari.
He recalled in his congratulatory message on Wednesday that he and President Buhari “held fruitful bilateral talks and recommitted their two government to deepening cooperation at the bilateral, continental and multilateral levels”.
