Fresh from a State visit to Angola a week ago, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday left the country on a two-day working visit to Botswana and Zambia.
It is part of the President’s drive to further deepen cooperation and promote mutual prosperity between Namibia and her neighbours.
The visits, marking her second engagement with Botswana’s Duma Boko and her first with Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema since assuming office on 21 March 2o25, underscore Namibia’s commitment to strengthening regional partnerships.
In Botswana yesterday, Nandi-Ndaitwah held official talks with Boko, focusing on enhancing economic collaboration for job- creation, press secretary Alfredo Hengari said.
He indicated that the discussions were built upon the existing strong diplomatic relations between the two nations, which are rooted in historic, socio-economic and cultural ties.
“The working visit presents an opportunity for Namibia to further strengthen bilateral relations with Botswana, which are at a high level of a Bi-National Commission,” said Hengari.
The leaders also sought to consolidate cooperation on joint infrastructure projects, including the upgrading of the Trans-Kalahari Highway, a crucial trade route connecting the two countries.
Meanwhile, a media release from the Botswana ministry of international relations detailed the breadth of the discussions, indicating that the leaders explored “opportunities to further enhance cooperation between Botswana and Namibia in the fields of agriculture, tourism, environment, transport and telecommunications, as well as defence and security.”
The statement highlighted the “strong bonds of friendship, cordial and mutually- beneficial relations based on historical linkages of solidarity, and social, economic and cultural ties” which exist between the two countries.
Today, Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to be in Zambia.
Her visit to that country, her first since taking office, is to further solidify Namibia’s regional engagement.
The visit will underscore the “cordial bilateral relations between Namibia and Zambia, founded on mutual respect and shared values, which are rooted in the liberation struggle,” Hengari stated.
The two countries have a long history of collaboration across various sectors, including agriculture, mining, energy, education, health, trade and investment, environment and tourism, transport and communication, sport and culture, and the legal sector.
A key highlight of the Zambian visit today is the renaming of two streets in Lusaka in honour of Namibia’s former presidents.
Kasama Road was renamed after late president Hage Geingob, while the Sadzu Road was renamed after Founding President Sam Nujoma.
This symbolic gesture signifies the deep appreciation and historical connections between the two nations.
“This momentous occasion signifies the deep and long-standing fraternal bonds and solidarity that exist between the peoples of Zambia and Namibia, dating back to Namibia’s heroic struggle for independence”, a release from the Zambian government stated.
Photo: Namibian Presidency