By:Nghiinomenw-vali Erastus
Around 6,500 people who travelled from Namibia to Botswana used their national identity cards (IDs) to cross over, and around the same number of people who crossed over from Botswana also used it as the new cross-border document.
This is according to an update provided by the Council of Ministers of the Trans- Kalahari Corridor (TKC) who met in Windhoek a week ago.
On 24 February 2023, Namibia and Botswana concluded a bilateral agreement on the movement of persons.This agreement allows the citizens of these two states to cross the two countries’ border without passports but obviously has not done away with regular migration controls.
Namibia and Botswana share a 1,500-kilometer-long border with five official crossing points.
According to the statistics collected by the border authorities and reported to the TKC Council, 6,348 Namibians have used their IDs to enter Botswanato date.
While those who crossed from Botswana to Namibia stood at 6,480.
The two countries agree that the utilisation of IDs for cross-border travel will not only reduce barriers to migration but also increase trade, offering a much-needed economic boost to each country and their people.
“This will allow the public and traders to do cross-border trade without having to worry about passports,” the Ministers stated in a joint communique.
The two neighbours also plan to introduce an electronic identity card.
Namibia and Botswana also signed a one-stop border post agreement in 2022 and the two countries have reiterated their commitment to launch it next year, in May.
The one-stop border post is meant to improve trade and the movement of goods and services between the two countries, and the respective implementing agencies were directed to fast-track the construction of necessary infrastructure.
So far early this year the Trans Kalahari/Mamuno Border post has received a 24-hours operation status.
The two governments are confident that the modernised Trans-Kalahari-Mamuno border post and the one-stop border post at the Kazungula Bridge will maximise the operational efficiency of the SADC transport development corridors.
On the other side of Botswana and South Africa, the TKC Council has also updated that, by December 2023, the Tlokweng Border Control and Kopfontein Border Control will also be operating 24 hours.
The Ministers have also agreed for the TKC to initiate a process to harmonise port health procedures, dry port procedures, bond guarantee transit procedures, and transit monitoring systems.
Furthermore, the Ministers have floated the idea of harmonising their visa requirements to have a TKC Visa, with the immigration ministries to be consulted on.
The three economies have also reached a consensus on the importance of introducing a cargo vehicle tracking system, this is to enable real-time visibility.
It has also been agreed by the TKC policymakers to conduct a minimum of 3 information sessions a year to inform and educate stakeholders, on various issues including border issues, customs, road legislation, and business opportunities along the corridor.
The transportation ministers have also warned the departments and agencies that are involved in facilitating trade along the TKC in each respective member to avoid duplication.
The year 2023 marks 20 years after the three member states signed a memorandum of understanding on the development and management of the TKC, which is a paved highway corridor that provides a direct route from the port of Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central Namibia, through Botswana, to Pretoria in Gauteng province in South Africa.
The headquarters and TKC Secretariat are in Namibia.
Email: erastus@thevillager.com.na
IDs Usage Between Nam And Bots Picking Up
