Botswana's High Commissioner to Namibia, Phemelo Rankoro, says the duties of a commissioner go beyond diplomacy and include facilitating trade. 

Rankoro made the remarks during a visit to Namibia's textile company, Dinapama.

Namibia and Botswana have long enjoyed strong bilateral relations, rooted in shared history, culture, and economic cooperation.

"And as the Botswana High Commission here, my duty here is firstly beyond diplomacy. It's also to facilitate trade. And one of my objectives is to see partnerships and collaborations between Botswana companies and Namibian companies. As you have rightly said, it boggles the mind why we would want to trade far instead of starting with our neighbours. There are a lot of opportunities that we can harness as neighbours, according to what Botswana says. Having numbers will lead to greater achievements.

During the visit, the High Commissioner was taken on a tour of the manufacturing company, where he observed workers at their stations and engaged with management on the company's contribution to local job creation.

The Director General of Dina Pama, David Namalenga, reflected on Namibia's past industrial challenges, citing the devastating closure of Ramatex in the 1990s, which left more than 10,000 employees jobless. 

He highlighted that his dream is to restore employment levels to those heights by promoting industrial growth, trade partnerships, and sustainable investment.

"We started with five machines and seven employees. So that's the history of our beginning. Dina Pama was officially registered in 2009. Operationally started in 2010. So, that's us here. We aim to hit that number. And if there is a way we can talk today or tomorrow to hit the number of 10,000 and more, we will be proud."

The visit reaffirmed Namibia and Botswana's commitment to advancing trade relations and supporting initiatives that drive regional economic development.