Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has formally assumed his diplomatic duties following the presentation of copies of his Letters of Credence to South African officials in Pretoria on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Fani-Kayode presented the documents to Clayson Monyela, Deputy Director-General for Public Diplomacy and Acting Chief of State Protocol at South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The presentation marked the commencement of his diplomatic functions with effect from that date.
Following the formal submission, the Nigerian envoy also held an introductory meeting with senior officials of the South African department, including Deputy Director-General Ambassador Seboga, as he began his engagements with the host government.
The development comes ahead of the ceremonial presentation of the original Letters of Credence to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, which is expected to take place at a later date.
South Africa’s DIRCO had announced on October 28 that it was changing its procedure for the accreditation of heads of diplomatic missions. Under the revised arrangement, a head of mission-designate is considered to have assumed office once copies of the Letters of Credence have been submitted to the Chief of State Protocol, rather than waiting for the formal presentation of the original documents to the president.
The change, which DIRCO said was made under Article 13(1) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, means Fani-Kayode can begin performing his diplomatic functions before the presidential credentials ceremony.
His assumption of duty follows his arrival in South Africa earlier in the week. The former Minister of Aviation was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to Lesotho and Eswatini. His assignment comes amid longstanding diplomatic, economic and consular relations between Nigeria and South Africa.