GABORONE: The Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Botswana signed nine agreements and memoranda of understanding on Thursday during the state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to Botswana.
The agreements are aimed at expanding cooperation and strengthening the partnership between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.
They cover general cooperation, political consultations, the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special passports, air services and investment promotion.
The two sides also agreed to establish a partnership in medicines security, regulatory cooperation, pharmaceutical supplies and investment.
Other agreements cover the joint development of terms for cooperation in mineral exploration, energy security and regional energy development.
The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Business Botswana also signed an MoU. Business Botswana serves as the country’s chamber of commerce, employers’ organisation and representative body for the business community.
The agreements were signed on the Omani side by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister; Anwar bin Hilal al Jabri, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion; Mustafa bin Mohammed al Hinai, CEO of O-Green; Eng Matar bin Salim al Badi, CEO of Minerals Development Oman; and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Balushi of Wathaq Group.
The Botswana signatories included Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations; Keoagile Atamelang, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure; Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Minister of Energy and Minerals; Dr Neo Tabela, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health; Tommy Mbakani, CEO of Business Botswana; and Sisco Mashabele, CEO of Botswana Mining Investment Company.
Sayyid Badr said Oman was determined to advance relations with Botswana and expressed hope that the agreements would be fully implemented at the earliest to deliver tangible benefits to both countries.
He stressed the importance of building close ties based on trust and mutual respect.
Abdulsalam bin Mohammed al Murshidi, Chairman of Oman Investment Authority, said His Majesty’s state visit marked a high point in bilateral relations and would drive further partnerships.
He said relations with Botswana were among the fastest-developing in terms of the number of projects and investments implemented and the speed of their execution. The leaders of both countries have directed their teams to accelerate work to expand cooperation into other sectors, he added.
Dr Butale described His Majesty’s visit as historic, noting the rapid development of bilateral relations and tangible results, including the large-scale solar power project in Maun.
He said the agreements would support investment in priority sectors such as mining, energy, tourism and agriculture.
David Kgoboko, CEO of Botswana Power Corporation, said Oman and Botswana were moving steadily towards major investment achievements in the energy sector. He said the anticipated energy surplus following the completion of joint power projects could create opportunities to export electricity to countries surrounding Botswana.
Al Hinai said Oman was seeking to consolidate investment in infrastructure and energy projects. Following the renewable energy plant currently under construction in Botswana, O-Green signed an agreement on energy security that will allow power generated from its projects in Botswana to be transmitted to neighbouring countries.
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