Africa’s abundant mineral wealth which is making other continents richer must help to improve the lives of Africans‚ President Jacob Zuma says.

Concluding a state visit to Nigeria on Wednesday‚ he said South Africa and Nigeria should unite and work together towards achieving the vision of a prosperous Africa in which all of its citizens benefited from its natural resources.

“The abundant mineral wealth in our continent which is making other continents richer‚ must improve the lives of Africans. It must help us defeat poverty‚ disease and helplessness amongst our peoples‚” Zuma stated.

He added that Nigeria and South Africa should also unite in bringing about peace and stability on the continent‚ through providing maximum support to the peace and security efforts of the African Union.

“Our people need peace. They need development‚ and they need to see their lives getting better every day.”

Zuma said his state visit had given him great hope that Nigeria and South Africa were ready to work together more than ever before‚ in the promotion of prosperity‚ good governance‚ peace and security and a better life for its people.

“As the two leading economies on the continent‚ our governments are obliged to create environments that enable seamless trade and make our countries attractive for both local and international investment.”