The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs in Botswana has announced that country and Namibia will sign an agreement to permit the use of national identity cards for the two countries as travel documents to cross their borders.
The signing of the agreement will take place on Friday (24 February 2023) at Mamuno/Trans-Kalahari border post.
This means Botswana and Namibia are set to scrap the requirement for travellers from either country to carry passports while crossing their common borders.
This development is the culmination of the initiative by the two heads of state, Mokgweetsi Masisi and President Hage Geingob, dating back to 2019.
Botswana’s home affairs permanent secretary Rule Opelo said it is a clear demonstration of their unwavering commitment to implementing a uniquely progressive aspect of the strategy of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
“The agreement will thus serve to eliminate barriers to the free movement of people, goods, and services, thereby strengthening trade between the two countries,” he said.
Speaking during the inaugural Botswana-Namibia bi-national commission last year, Geingob said the two countries not only share a common border, but also a common people and heritage.
“A symbiotic and interdependent relationship exists along our common borders,” he said.
Geingob had called on senior officials to fast-track the implementation of the usage of identity documents as travel documents between the two countries, without delay. As member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Opelo believes this agreement between Botswana and Namibia will also contribute to the objectives of the SADC Treaty.
The treaty calls on SADC member states to develop policies aimed at the progressive elimination of obstacles to the free movement of people, goods, and services.
“The use of national identity cards for cross-border travel will enhance the momentum for economic and regional integration and further promote safe and orderly migration. This development will become even more impactful on people’s lives as Mamuno/Trans-Kalahari border post attains a full-fledged status of a one-stop border post, operating on a 24-hour basis later this year,” Opelo noted.
Equally, he mentioned it will also foster social cohesion among the citizens of the two nations, who share profound historical, cultural, and economic bonds, in addition to the values of democracy, self-determination as a people, human rights, peace, rule of law, and good governance, among others.
Caption: Easy access… Botswana and Namibia are set to scrap the requirement for travellers from either country to carry passports while crossing their common borders.
Photo: NBC