Nigeria’s newly appointed High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode, has formally assumed diplomatic duties following the presentation of copies of his Letters of Credence to the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
Fani-Kayode presented the documents on Friday, October 30, 2026, to Mr Clayson Monyela, Deputy Director-General of Public Diplomacy and Acting Chief of State Protocol at DIRCO.
The presentation marks the formal commencement of his diplomatic functions under a revised accreditation procedure recently introduced by the South African government.
In a diplomatic communication dated October 28, 2026, and addressed to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, DIRCO announced a change in the procedure for accrediting newly appointed heads of diplomatic missions.
The letter, with reference number DIAP/14/1/1/1-F.Nigeria, stated that the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation had approved the revised procedure pursuant to Article 13(1) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
Under the previous arrangement, a Head of Mission-Designate was required to present the original Letters of Credence to the South African President before being recognised as having assumed diplomatic functions.
However, the new procedure recognises a diplomat as having officially assumed office once copies of the Letters of Credence have been submitted to the Chief of State Protocol.
DIRCO stated: “Once the Head of Mission-Designate has submitted the copies of the Letters of Credence to the Chief of State Protocol, the said Head of Mission-Designate is considered to have taken up his/her position as Head of Mission.”
The department, however, clarified that the original Letters of Credence would still be presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa at a subsequent credentials ceremony.
“The Department wishes to furthermore confirm that the original Letters of Credence will still be handed over to the President at the next Credentials Ceremony on a date and time to be communicated,” the letter stated.
Following the presentation, Fani-Kayode also met with Ambassador Seboga, Deputy Director-General of DIRCO, at his office as part of his initial diplomatic engagements with senior South African officials.
The meeting is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss ways of strengthening diplomatic relations and cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa.
Fani-Kayode’s assumption of duty comes as both countries continue to engage on key issues, including trade, economic cooperation, security, migration and the welfare of their respective citizens.
With the revised procedure, the Nigerian envoy can now perform his official diplomatic functions without waiting for the formal presentation of his original Letters of Credence to President Ramaphosa at the next credentials ceremony.
The DIRCO communication notifying the Nigerian High Commission of the change was issued in Pretoria on October 28, 2026.