16 May 2025

The newly constituted governments of Botswana and Namibia elected in late 2024, have a duty to cement the good relations between the two neighbours, and seek tangible economic benefit for their people, the Minister for International Affairs, Dr Phenyo Butale has said.

Making introductory remarks ahead of bilateral talks led by the countries’ respective Presidents, Advocate Duma Boko and Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the Office of the President yesterday, Dr Butale said Botswana and Namibia have much to benefit from closer ties. He said the two countries already have strong relations and the new governments should reimagine the cooperation, and advance it to mutually beneficial trade links that could help in progressing their middle income economies.

Dr Butale cited the excellent bilateral relations and good people to people bonds as a good building block for the two nations to trade more, generate more sources of revenue and jobs to benefit their ordinary citizens. He added that President Boko had made it clear to his government that he sought to have Botswana cultivate stronger ties with her neighbours.

“We need to shore up our relations, and work on projects that could take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to help improve the livelihood of the people of our countries,” Dr Butale said.

He called for a ‘clear practical way forward,’ on advancing the ties through the construction of the Trans Kalahari Railway, usage of the Botswana dry port at Walvis Bay, Namibia, and exploring other areas of trade that could be mutually beneficial.

Namibia’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Selma Ashipala-Musavyi reiterated that the two nations shared much politically, economically and culturally and the two Presidents had decided to meet to explore means of advancing such good relations. She said while the bilateral talks over the one-day working visit from the Namibian President were introductory meeting between the two new heads of state, she was confident it would be a start of a solid relationship.

Ms Ashipala-Musavyi said Botswana’s democracy was a model to the region and continent and the seamless transfer of power that occasioned at the last general elections on October 30 2024 were further testament of Botswana’s democratic credentials. She also stated that the narrative of Namibia’s independence would not be complete without the mention of Botswana’s assistance to her country’s liberation struggle. Botswana and Namibia share a long 1 544 kilometre border line that stretches from the south west tripoint with South Africa along the Nossob River at the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kgalagadi District, going northward, then running eastward at the Caprivi Strip, towards the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers at the Kazungula quadripoint.

The two states have similarly sparsely populated territories, with Botswana having an estimated 2.5 million people, Namibia 2.9 million, who live in large expanse of territory that is mostly covered by the arid and semi-arid Kalahari and Namib Desert terrains. Both nations trade in diamonds, beef, small stock and tourism, prioritising sustainable development and community partnerships in their conservation of wildlife and ecosystems, and the two states are part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). ENDS