>
President Muhammadu Buhari and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, met on Thursday to explore solutions to the xenophobic attacks stirring tensions between both countries.
Buhari arrived South Africa on Wednesday on the invitation of Ramaphosa following diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Abuja, a situation that forced the evacuation of about 600 Nigerians from the rainbow nation.
After a meeting between the two leaders in Pretoria, a communique was issued to newsmen. In the communique, both leaders condemned the violent incidents and the destruction of property. They reiterated their call for heightened law enforcement.
The both announced the signing of a Memoranda of Understanding(MoU) on defense, science and technology, amongst others.
According to the communique, the MoU has no fewer than 32 agreements but the agreements are under the major ones which is as follows:
. The two presidents endorsed the establishment of an Early Warning Mechanism to detect hostility between South Africans and Nigerians to avoid recurrence of violence and directed the two Foreign Ministers to give practical expression to it.
. They endorsed the reestablishment of the Republic of South Africa and the Federal Republic of Nigeria Consular Forum to meet twice a year.
. The two presidents agreed to open their respective countries economy to foreign investors especially from both countries to boost Trade and Industry
. They both agreed to partner on Science and Technology
. The presidents agreed to share intelligence and training in the are of Defence
. They also agreed to partner on Agriculture and Energy