Namibia, Botswana discuss technical framework on one stop border post
Namibia and Botswana recently discussed the technical framework of the implementation of a one-stop border post initiative at the Mamuno and Trans Kalahari border gates.
The Executive Director of Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat Leslie Mpofu during the virtual meeting this week said these negotiations are critical because they pave the way for the conclusion of the One-Stop Border Post Agreement and its implementation, making it the first of its kind in the SACU region and the third in the SADC region.
“This will have great benefits to the economies of the Trans Kalahari Corridor Member States and the region as a whole and I believe that such endeavours are a step towards achieving the sentiments espoused in the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement, the continental Africa free trade agreement and indeed the AU’s Agenda 2063,” said Mpofu.
For her part, Boikanyo Mathipa from Botswana’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development decried the fact that the two countries have stayed for a long time without progressing with the negotiations since their last meeting in August 2013.
She said she hoped that the agreement will be concluded soon and pave way for the development of the border post. She further informed the meeting that Botswana Parliament enacted the border post legislation in 2013.
Subsequent to the completion of the technical negotiations, the next stage will be for the document to be reviewed by the legal experts of both countries, after which it will be submitted to the respective country’s Attorney Generals for scrubbing.
Implementation will follow after the line Ministers from the Botswana and Namibia sign the document.
The TKC Secretariat is a tripartite transboundary corridor management institution based in Windhoek. It was established with a political and economic vision to pursue or contribute towards deeper regional integration programmes of SADC, SACU and AUDA – NEPAD.
