GABORONE: The Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Botswana signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding, within the framework of a state visit undertaken by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the Republic of Botswana. The pacts aimed at enhancing areas of cooperation and partnership between the two countries and serving their mutual interests.
The agreements and memoranda of understanding pertain to a number of areas, namely general cooperation, political consultations, the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special passports, air services, investment promotion, the establishment of a Botswana–Oman medicines security, regulatory cooperation, pharmaceutical supply and investment partnership, energy security and regional energy development, and a memorandum of understanding between Business Botswana and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The agreement were signed from 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, Chief Executive Officer of O-Green and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Balushi of Withaq Group.
From the Botswana side, they were signed by Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations, Keoagile Atamelang, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Tiroeaone Ntsima, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Neo Tapela, Permanent Health Secretary and Tumi Mbaakanyi, CEO Business Botswana.
In his speech, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, affirmed the Sultanate of Oman's determination to move forward in strengthening the relationship between the two countries, expressing his hope to see the full implementation of the agreements signed between the two sides, leading to harvesting tangible benefits as quickly as possible for the good of the people of Oman and Botswana, pointing to the importance of building close ties between the two countries based on mutual trust and respect.
In a statement, Abdulsalam bin Mohammed al Murshidi, President of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), said that the state visit paid by His Majesty the Sultan to the Republic of Botswana represents the pinnacle of the relationship between the two countries. The visit, he added, would push fields of cooperation between the two countries toward further partnerships, noting that relations with Botswana are considered the fastest-paced in terms of the number of implemented projects and investments, as well as the speed of their completion and execution.
He explained that the leaders of the two countries directed field teams to work at an accelerated pace to expand areas of cooperation into other sectors.
For his part, Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations of the Republic of Botswana, said that His Majesty the Sultan's visit to Botswana is a historic event, as the relationship between the two sides has developed rapidly, producing tangible results, including the mega solar power plant project in the 'Maun' area.
He pointed out that these memorandums will facilitate and support cooperation between the two sides, as investment will be made in key priority economic sectors, such as mining, energy, tourism, and agriculture.
Furthermore, David Kgoboko, CEO of Botswana Power Corporation, pointed out that Botswana and the Sultanate of Oman are moving forward with steady steps toward achieving great and fruitful success in investing in the energy sector, adding that there are promising and significant opportunities in the region surrounding Botswana to export electricity, given the large expected surplus of energy following the operation of all stations being worked on with the Sultanate of Oman.
Mustafa bin Mohammed al Hinai, CEO of O-Green, said that the Sultanate of Oman seeks to consolidate investment in infrastructure and energy projects, noting that following the renewable energy plant in Botswana, which is currently under construction, a memorandum on energy security from Botswana to its neighbouring country was signed today, through which O-Green will transmit the energy produced from its projects in Botswana to surrounding countries. — ONA
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