18 Nov 2025

President Advocate Duma Boko has received letters of credence from Bangladesh, Denmark, Venezuela and Dominican Republic at the Office of the President on November 18.

In welcoming Bangladesh High Commissioner to Botswana, Mr Shah Ahmed Shafi, President Boko expressed delight over the outstanding bilateral relations that existed between Botswana and Bangladesh. 

“The Bangladesh Minister of Labour once visited Botswana and proposed the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a number of issues that had to be followed up, one of them being the visa free movement between the two countries,” President Boko said. 

He said Bangladesh was a probable strategic partner for Botswana in the agricultural sector particularly in animal husbandry and livestock production. 

“Bangladesh has a cattle population of over 24 million while Botswana is eager to get to five million, hence there is a lot that Botswana can learn from Bangladesh in order to reach the five million mark,” he said. 

President Boko said Botswana once sent a team of farmers on a benchmarking mission to Bangladesh and was hopeful that the mission would be fruitful in order for agriculture to raise its contribution to the economy. 

He said Bangladesh also produced pharmaceutical at 98 per cent self-sufficiency and was already exporting to 150 countries. 

Therefore, said he was optimistic that Bangladesh would come on board to relief Botswana from the current drug shortage. 

Receiving letters of credence from Danish High Commissioner, Ms Karin Poulsen, President Boko said the relationship between the two nations was built on shared bonds of commitment to democracy, respect for human rights, peace and security, economic and social development.  

He said Botswana had in the past received support and assistance from Denmark and was keen on deepening the relationship as Denmark had previously supported botswana's beef industry by providing training on foot and mouth disease detection and the establishment of a meat inspection centre. 

Welcoming Venezuela High Commissioner, Ms Magaly Gonzalez, President Boko said Botswana supported the territorial sovereignty of all nations. 

He reaffirmed Botswana’s commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, sovereignty and respect for integrity of sovereign states, thus extending the country’s support to the nation of Venezuela. 

Similarly, in welcoming Dominican Republic High Commissioner, Ms Erika Rodriguez, President Boko indicated that it was worth acknowledging that Botswana and the Dominican Republic had a common vision to have high income economies by 2036. 

Thus, he said it was important for both nations to cooperate to achieve their visions. 

“I am also aware that you have established a national digital health strategy that runs from 2024 to 2028 and we have also embarked on a programme of a similar nature, to digitalise our health care and achieve universal health coverage,” he said. 

In their response, the envoys vowed to execute their roles and further nurture the relations between Botswana and their respective countries. ENDS