22 Jun 2026

Sixty-four refugees have been granted Botswana citizenship, marking a new chapter of their lives.

Handing over their citizenship documents on World Refugee Day commemoration on Saturday, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware said the act of bestowing citizenship on the 64 would forever be etched in their minds given that they had left their countries of origin not by choice but because of the harsh and challenging circumstances that they faced.

Maj. Gen Mokgware said with government being human rights-centric, the granting of citizenship to the 64 was an affirmation of the administration’s commitment to the protection and upholding of human rights.

The minister implored the new citizens to integrate with locals and participate in all community activities and most importantly to respect the laws that govern Botswana.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Mr Nelson Ramaotwana said his ministry, together with that of Labour and Home Affairs, were working collaboratively towards ensuring the effective local integration of refugees, which sits among the most effective and long-lasting solutions to addressing their plight.

Minister Ramaotwana added that this year’s commemoration of Refugee Day marked a significant milestone towards the inclusion of some of the refugees that Botswana was hosting.

He said the decision to grant some of the refugees citizenship was going to unlock many opportunities for them, contribute to the core message of the theme of this year’s commemoration of: Until everyone is safe.

Mr Ramaotwana also noted that the inclusion of the 64 former refugees was a fulfillment of one of the commitments that the Botswana government had made at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), where it committed to the integration of individuals with protracted cases, unaccompanied minors and those at the risk of being stateless.

Furthermore, he highlighted that another milestone in line with demonstration of commitment to the protection and welfare of refugees, as of last year his ministry had been working tirelessly to secure tertiary education scholarships for refugee students that had demonstrated academic excellence in order to enable them to access higher education.

To date, in partnership with different tertiary institutions, 25 refugee students have been successfully enrolled in various institutions such as Botho University, University of Botswana and Botswana International University of Science and Technology. ENDS