25 May 2026

As Botswana and South Africa convened for the sixth session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) the two countries had been encouraged by the tangible progress achieved throughout the partnership.

President Advocate Duma Boko made the observation during the official opening of the sixth session of the BNC at the Royal Aria Conference Centre in Tlokweng on Thursday.

President Boko said most notable was the improved efficiency at key border posts, which had enhanced the movements of goods, services and people thereby supporting trade facilitation and regional connectivity.

“Equally commendable has been our close collaboration in responding to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in parts of South Africa and along our shared border. This cooperation demonstrates the strength, responsiveness, and strategic importance of our partnership in protecting livelihoods, safeguarding agricultural production, and preserving regional food security,” said President Boko.

He said the session took place at a time of heightened global uncertainty and geopolitical and economic shifts across the world where nations were grappling with rising costs of living, energy insecurity, climate change, supply chain disruptions, technological transformation, and evolving geopolitical realignments.

“These developments demand greater coordination, strategic foresight, and strengthened regional cooperation. At the same time, they present new opportunities for our countries to reposition themselves within emerging global value chains and harness innovation, digital transformation, and renewable energy transition as drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth,” said President Boko.

He said there was significant scope for Botswana and South Africa to deepen cooperation in the area of energy security, including cross-border electricity trade, renewable energy development, energy infrastructure investment and regional energy integration.

President Boko said climate resilience and sustainable water management must increasingly form part of the strategic cooperation agenda due to the growing impact of climate variability to economies, ecosystems and communities.

“Agriculture remains central to the livelihoods and socio-economic well-being of our peoples. There is, therefore, considerable potential to expand collaboration across the agricultural value chain, including veterinary cooperation, disease prevention and control, agro-processing, agricultural innovation, and improved market access,” he said.

He said as Africa’s leading diamond-producing countries, Botswana and South Africa also shared a strategic interest in ensuring that mineral resources contributed meaningfully to industrialisation, value addition, employment creation and broad-based economic transformation.

President Boko said in the face of evolving global market dynamics including the emergence of lab-grown diamonds, it was imperative that cooperation was strengthened in local beneficiation, downstream value chains, marketing and protection of long-term integrity and competitiveness of the natural diamond industry.

“As founding members of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, our two countries bear a shared responsibility to ensure that our mineral wealth delivers tangible developmental outcomes for our citizens. By retaining greater value within our economies, we can create quality jobs, strengthen industrial capacity, and enhance economic resilience against external shocks,” he said.

He urged delegates to intensify efforts to address barriers that constrained trade, improve the ease of doing business and strengthen industrial cooperation to create a more enabling environment for investment, innovation and enterprise development. ENDS