- This as Botswana donates 1,000 elephants to Angola
Botswana’s President, Duma Boko, has called for the swift conclusion of bilateral talks aimed at demining historic migratory corridors between Botswana and Angola. The plan will allow 1,000 donated elephants to safely repatriate themselves rather than undergoing a costly and complex airlift.
Speaking during his official three-day state visit to Luanda, President Boko emphasised that restoring ancient migration routes is a critical imperative for both regional tourism and wildlife conservation.
“We must also pursue close collaboration in relation to tourism, issue of migration routes of in particular to elephants, to enable them to move and roam freely. The governors of some of the affected provinces in Angola and their counterparts in Botswana began discussions sometime back; we want those discussions to come to conclusion,” he said.
The cornerstone of Boko’s call rests on removing threats along the elephant migration routes as there will be no need for the 1,000 elephants that Botswana has donated to Angola to be airlifted, rather allowing them to transport themselves and bring themselves to Angola.
Poaching, landmines, expanding human settlements and development, veterinary fences, and agriculture are reported to be some of the threats facing the free migration of elephants.
“One of the things that was discussed was demining, removal of threats along the elephants’ migration routes. Because if we do that, the 1,000 elephants that we have donated to Angola will not need to go and airlift… they will transport themselves and bring themselves here,” Boko explained.
Boko further highlighted that the relationship between Botswana and Angola holds potentialities for other countries, adding that his visit to Angola must transform to concrete outcomes and action for the two counties and the people.
He stated that the deliberations made at the meeting must be followed with decisive and bold action to ensure that they don’t just remain in the pages of the report as chronicles but rather transform into transformative action that delivers results in the lives and livelihoods of the people of Botswana and Angola.
“We need to address issues of connectivity, the ease of movement of goods and persons between our countries,” he said.
In his remarks, Angola’s President Joao Lourenço said that the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) and the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) anchor major sustainable tourism potential that Angola is actively developing.
In April this year, the Minister for State Presidency, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, received Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to Botswana Sandro de Oliveira, for bilateral discussions aimed at further strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
During the discussions, de Oliveira recalled Botswana’s offer of 1,000 elephants to Angola. This important gesture aimed to establish natural migration corridors, allowing elephants to move freely between the two countries, thereby creating enhanced opportunities for tourism development in Angola through vibrant transboundary wildlife routes.
Meanwhile, Botswana and Angola have also strengthened bilateral cooperation through agreements aimed at deepening collaboration in political and diplomatic affairs, defence and security and economic development.
The agreements provide a framework for enhanced cooperation in areas including mining and diamonds, energy, agriculture and livestock, tourism, wildlife conservation and transport, including opportunities linked to the Lobito Corridor and Lobito Refinery.
The two countries will also strengthen cooperation in defence and security, legal and judicial matters, policing, border management and the fight against cross-border crime, wildlife crime and diamond smuggling.
The agreements build on the inaugural Botswana–Angola Joint Permanent Commission and provide mechanisms for implementation, monitoring and follow up of bilateral commitments.
The two countries have further agreed to establish the Botswana–Angola Bi-National Commission, with its inaugural session scheduled to be hosted by Botswana in 2027.
