Staff Reporter
THE Second Session of the Botswana–Namibia Bi-National Commission (BNC) officially commenced in Windhoek on Monday, 6 October, with a Senior Officials meeting and will conclude on Friday, 10 October, with a Heads of State Summit.
“The Second Session of the BNC will review progress across multiple areas of cooperation, including diplomatic, legal, economic, social, and defence and security matters. It will also provide a platform to explore new areas of collaboration and exchange views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. A number of bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be considered and signed during the session,” the Namibian Presidency explained.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and President Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana will co-chair the Heads of State Summit of the BNC on Friday.
This will be preceded by a Ministerial Session on 9 October 2025, co-chaired by Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of International Relations and Trade, and Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations of Botswana. Prior to that, the Senior Officials Session will take place from 6 to 8 October 2025, co-chaired by Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati, Executive Director in the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, and Thuso Ramodimoosi, Permanent Secretary in Botswana’s Ministry of International Relations.
“The BNC is a high-level bilateral cooperation mechanism between Namibia and Botswana, established in January 2021. It replaced the former Joint Commission on Cooperation and the Joint Permanent Commission on Security and Defence,” the Namibian Presidency explained.
The Presidency also highlighted that President Nandi-Ndaitwah paid a working visit to Botswana earlier this year, where she held official talks with President Boko.
“The two Heads of State reaffirmed the longstanding bonds of friendship and shared historical ties between the two nations—foundations that continue to drive deeper economic and diplomatic collaboration. During that visit, the Presidents also emphasised the importance of prioritising key areas of cooperation and agreed on the need to complete a legal audit of all existing bilateral agreements to accelerate the implementation of joint projects,” the Namibian Presidency added.
