21 Feb 2021

Botswana is ready to host the inaugural session of its Bi-National Commission (BNC) with Namibia this year.

This follows the elevation of cooperation between the two countries from the level of a  Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) to that of a BNC.

The BNC is to meet annually under the chairmanship of the heads of state.

Speaking during the conclusion of the 6th and final JPCC session on February 18, Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Lemogang Kwape said in preparation for the BNC, the two countries had agreed to pay particular attention to the implementation of existing Memoranda of Understanding and agreements.

His Namibian counterpart and co-chair,  Ms Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also her country’s  deputy prime minister, said it was agreed during President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s visit to  Namibia last month that a bilateral meeting of the defence and security sector should take place before the first BNC meeting.

She therefore called on the security and defence sectors of both countries to ensure that the  meeting took place.

Dr Kwape said the two countries had also committed to expediting the conclusion and signing of  outstanding bilateral instruments by the inaugural session of the BNC.  

This, he said, would broaden the scale and scope of cooperation.

Minister Kwape encouraged officials of both countries to hasten the finalisation of pending instruments.

He reaffirmed Botswana’s’ commitment to continue working closely with Namibia to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and excellent bilateral relations.

About the just-ended meeting, Dr Kwape said the robust and constructive deliberations that characterised the session attested to the ever-growing friendship between the two countries.

He said discussions focused on core issues critical to the development of the two countries and improvement of the livelihoods of their populace.

Sectors discussed included agriculture, health, immigration, trade and investment, mining, environment and tourism.

 Dr Kwape also applauded senior officials from both countries  for their hard work saying a comprehensive report they prepared formed the basis of the discussions.

For her part, Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah described the last session of JPCC as a very important event for both countries.

She said the two countries had agreed to prioritise implementation of JPCC decisions which would help improve the quality of life for both  Batswana and Namibians.

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that the success of cooperation did not solely lie in jointly agreeing on programmes and projects but on their execution and implementation.

She therefore urged all to ensure that joint decisions, programmes and projects were timeously implemented.

“While our relations and cooperation remain excellent and keep on increasing, it is my wish to see an increase in the interaction between different sectors,” she said.

 

She said that type of interaction would afford the two parties an opportunity to consult each other when the need arose as opposed to waiting for platforms such as the JPCC.ENDS