Nigeria has pulled out of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which began in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday in a sign of worsening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The boycott was announced after a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to discuss a series of deadly attacks on foreigners, especially Nigerians, in South African cities.
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Prof Osinbajo was scheduled to address a panel on universal energy access on Thursday.
“Clearly with this climate, he (Osinbajo) and Mr. President have agreed that he should not go,” Onyeama told a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Onyeama had previously summoned South Africa’s envoy to Nigeria and demanded an explanation for “the continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises … with ineffective police protection”.
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Nigeria’s withdrawal has cast a cloud over initiatives to boost intra-African trade.
Xenophobic attacks have killed at least five people in Johannesburg and Pretoria in recent days, and on Wednesday South African companies MTN and Shoprite closed stores in Nigeria after retaliatory attacks on their premises.
South African police have made almost 300 arrests, while people across the continent have protested and voiced their anger on social media.
It is unclear what ignited the latest attacks, which mainly targeted shops owned by African migrants, but unemployment is high and many South Africans feel frustration with limited economic opportunities.
