The South Africa-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) has been elevated to “head of state level”‚ President Jacob Zuma said.

He used his toast at a state banquet to announce that he and his host‚. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari‚ will “take full and direct responsibility for the deepening of the relations between the two countries”.

“Today marks an important occasion in the history of our time tested relations‚” Zuma said.

“It indicates how seriously Nigeria takes the need to further deepen relations between our two countries.”

He noted that the BNC had been “officially inaugurated in 1999‚ and was led then by former Deputy President Jacob Zuma in South Africa and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in Nigeria”.

The heads of state will‚ Zuma said‚ “meet annually to not only discuss bilateral cooperation but to also discuss issues of peace‚ security and development in the Continent as well as global issues of mutual concern”.

Zuma said that he wanted “to see two-way trade growing between the two countries”‚ and while the number of SA companies in Nigeria “has grown from only four before 1999 to over 120 now”‚ he added: “We want to see more Nigerian companies investing in South Africa as well.”

Wednesday will see Zuma and his delegation of six ministers and business stakeholders meeting with the South Africa-Nigeria Business Council.

 “We will give them a clear message that South Africa and Nigeria are open for business‚” Zuma said.

“Our two countries‚ as the biggest economies on the continent‚ have a responsibility to play a visible role in the quest for African solutions to African problems.”