A delegation from Botswana’s parliament which was on an official visit to Namibia last week, praised the country for having a sizeable number of women and young representatives in the National Assembly.
“We applaud the parliament of Namibia. They are working very hard, especially the National Assembly, as opposed to the National Council, which has a process similar to our National Assembly that ushered in fewer women and more men,” head of delegation Mpho Balopi told Nampa in an interview.
Balopi was also impressed by the number of young lawmakers in the Namibian lower house.
“They have more than 15 people who are less than 32 years old or so right now. This is a very formidable milestone. And women representation is almost 50-50 with men. The other thing in their oversight committees is that when the chairperson is a man, the deputy has to be a woman. These are some reforms I believe are very good. This is a challenge for us currently, and something we are going to share with our colleagues back in parliament,” he added.
Balopi and his delegation was on a benchmarking visit to engage with their Namibian counterparts, which he said forms part of the journey to engage and grow relationships, as well as integrate the two countries.
He noted that the two heads of state have laid the foundation for Botswana and Namibia to engage and strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships.
As an example of a strong relationship, Balopi cited the agreement between the two countries to allow citizens to travel across the border for business and tourism using national identification cards.
“At the end of the day, we have to come here as an oversight committee of the parliament of Botswana to have an exchange with the oversight committee of our counterparts here in the Namibian Parliament,” he said.
During a meeting with his Botswana counterpart, Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi highlighted the strong relationship between the countries.
“Our two nations share a rich history, dating back to our respective independence; we share more than just borders. We share resources, cultures and a mutual respect that has allowed us to manage these shared resources effectively,” the Speaker said.
Katjavivi highlighted the 24-hour operation of the Trans-Kalahari/Mamuno border post which was launched in April as testament to the shared commitment to facilitating trade and enhancing connectivity between the two nations.
Trade and commerce
The visiting MPs also praised the cooperation between their country and Namibia, particularly in the realms of trade and commerce.
Balopi, who is chairperson of the works, transport, technology and information and communications, indicated during a meeting with Namport on Friday that the two countries are continually enhancing collaboration through high-level engagements.
The delegation comprised six MPs from three committees, including the Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Development, as well as the Committee on Labour and Home Affairs, which is chaired by Balopi.
The trip to Namport was part of the group’s oversight visit, allowing them to follow up and engage on various aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries relevant to their portfolio committees in the Botswana Parliament.
Balopi commended Namibia for providing Botswana with a dry port, stating that it plays a crucial role in the country’s import and export sector.
He pointed out that the Trade Facilitation Agreement between Namibia and Botswana, calls for seamless cross-border trade. As a land-locked country, the dry port at Walvis Bay enables Botswana to have direct market access to the world.
However, Balopi highlighted the need for both countries to find solutions to the current transport challenges concerning the delivery line that connects them.
“We have engaged our transport ministry back home as well as their counterparts here to discuss the achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor. We want to ensure that the movement of goods and trade between the two countries is facilitated going forward,” Balopi explained. According to him, there is a necessity to revive the Trans-Kalahari railway line to alleviate the burden and congestion on the roads between the two countries.
Derick Mokgatle, manager at the Botswana dry port, echoed Balopi’s sentiments, adding that there is currently an expression of interest (EOI) running from 06 September to 08 November 2023, for the revival of the 1500 kilometre railway line.
The EOI will be followed by a pre-qualification stage between December 2023 and February 2024, after which construction is expected to commence in 2025.
-Nampa