Namibia, Botswana To Use IDs To Cross Border, No Need For Passports

Namibia and Botswana are on track to lift passport requirements at their border and use IDs with enhanced digitisation, a move said to be in line with the much-mooted SADC integration.

Once the agreement is in place IDs from both countries will enable citizens to use them to cross the border.

Speaking during the inaugural Botswana-Namibia bi-national commission, Namibian president Hage Geingob on Friday, said: “Our two countries not only share a common border, but also a common people and heritage. A symbiotic and interdependent relationship exists along our common borders.”

Geingob added: “Therefore, I call on our senior officials to fast-track the implementation of the usage of Identity Documents (IDs) as travel documents between the two countries, without delay.”

Geingob said Namibia had already begun issuing refugees, who he referred to as “African guests” with IDs.

Botswana President Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi agreed with his counterpart, saying the development would make life easier for citizens wanting to cross the border.

The bi-national commission took place in Gaborone, Botswana.

The necessary agreement was expected to be signed next year.

SADC member states long lifted visa requirements as part of the quest for regional integration.