12 Apr 2017

Botswana is in the process of developing a National Migration Policy, which will be used to regulate a myriad of both accountable and irregular migrants entering and going out of the country for various reasons.

Speaking at the first of planned series of consultative workshops with the media on the development of this policy on April 10, director of immigration and citizenship, Mr Mabusa Pule said currently there was no legal instrument guiding the country on how to control migration in the country.

He noted that this was why the ministry developed a draft policy, which needed scrutiny and input from members of the public among them trade unions, NGO, civil society and traditional leadership to beef it up before it could be adopted and put into practice sometime later this year.   

The National Migration Policy for Botswana, according to Mr Pule, is envisaged to analytically regulate migration.

He said some people come into the country and end up overstaying, as such the policy will inevitably assist in documenting all migration as well as control unwarranted inflow of irregular migration, especially from neighbouring states.

On the other hand, head of office at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) based in Gaborone, Ms Sikhulile Dlamini said it was encouraging that the country was developing a blue print regarding the matter, noting that the issue of migration was a global concern, which could not go unattended.

Ms Dlamini noted that migration across the world was going at an unprecedented scale due to various reasons such as unemployment, conflicts and search for better pay, among others.

She however said the migration policy should address issues of labour as different types of labour among them semi-skilled and highly skilled labour were among those who crisscross countries.

In the meantime, Ms Dlamini said irregular migration should be controlled just like in South Africa, which finally regularised irregular migrants, whom they used to deport.

In the same breadth, she said some countries benefited from remittance of their citizens who went on diaspora when they came back home.

For his part, chief immigration administrator, Mr Lekgotla Phiri noted that migration flows presented complex challenges to the country in terms of regulation, control, security humanitarian needs.

He therefore said government had developed the National Migration Policy to provide a strategic vision on migration management balancing the government’s development, security and humanitarian objectives.

The policy provides the over-arching framework for coordination across government around the four pillars of migration management; migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration and forced migration.

The over-arching principles underpinning the National Migration Policy are; facilitation of movement, upholding social justice, protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, promoting development and building cooperation. ENDS