Namibia and Botswana to review all bilateral agreements

resident Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced that Namibia and Botswana will review all bilateral agreements.

She said this during the second session of the Namibia-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC) at State House on Friday.

This vision, she said, aims for peace and stability, not only for the two countries but across Africa.

“I am encouraged particularly, as we are going to thoroughly review all our bilateral cooperation and agreements. Agreements which we are going to sign today will serve as a clear example of our shared vision to turn this into tangible growth,” she said.

“We must create jobs and empower our women with skills to drive our economic growth,” she said.

The one-stop border implementation between Walvis Bay Port and Gaborone, the 24-hour border operations and acceptance of identity documents, she said, has made transportation more accessible.

She said collaboration extends beyond just bilateral issues, adding that the world now lives in the age where multilateralism is being challenged.

She called for peace in the region and the world, referring to Palestine, and the end of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe and Venezuela and economic embargoes on Cuba.

Botswana president Duma Boko says the two countries must use a business-as-usual approach and embrace the circumstances that both countries face to create change in people’s lives.

He says the reviews will cast out outdated strategies and realign them with renewed strategies.

He adds that the two countries should not seek to outcompete each other, highlighting the need for collaboration on common goals and outcomes.

“We need each other desperately, and despite the fact that we need each other, we also pose immense danger to each other,” he adds.

Boko says Namibia and Botswana must be doers, not doubters, despite challenges.

“The people are hungry, unfed, unhosed, they want to eat and work, they want to make meaningful living within their borders. The expectations are enormous,” he says.

Boko says the two countries must compliment each other with work and deeds, not just words.