Over the weekend, various media outlets published misleading headlines that Namibia and Botswana had scrapped the use of passports for travellers between the two countries.

The reports come from remarks made by Namibian President Hage Geingob during his speech at the inaugural session of the Botswana-Namibia Bi-National Commission in Gaborone on Friday. While the countries have agreed to explore the use of IDs as travel documents in place of passports, there has been not yet been official implementation. Geingob did, however, call for the initiative – which has been in discussion since 2019 – to be accelerated. 

“I call on our senior officials to fast-track the implementation of the usage of IDs as travel documents between the two countries, without delay,” said Geingob. 

One of the outcomes of the commission was the signing of a bilateral agreement to establish a one-stop border post at the Mamuno-Trans-Kalahari Border Post, which will ease delays by allowing people, vehicles and goods to move through one joint facility.