(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – Formal diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Republic of Botswana strengthened on Thursday 27 November, as CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, welcomed a new Ambassador from the Southern African country, Her Excellency Ms. Benetia Tumelo Chingapane.
“Your appointment signals the beginning of a new chapter in a friendship built on bilateral relationships and on interactions in multilateral organisations,” Dr Barnett told the new envoy as she accredited her at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.
She said that CARICOM is seeking to balance its development aspirations in close collaboration with South-South partners and the international community. In this endeavour, she said it sees scope to enhance the relationship with Botswana in energy security, renewable energy, climate change, environmental protection, financial services, tourism, and agribusiness.
These sectors offer opportunities for structured cooperation and political engagement, particularly as CARICOM also strengthens its partnership with the African Union, Dr Barnett stated.
The Botswanan envoy noted other areas for closer collaboration including education, health, trade and investment, cooperation in the international arena, climate financing, and climate action.
She recalled the outcomes of the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit on 7 September in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which called for a Transcontinental Partnership Framework to advance shared development goals and reparatory justice. In this context, she expressed optimism that Heads of Government of CARICOM and Africa will continue efforts to forge a “formidable partnership that will achieve sustainable development for the communities of Africa and the Caribbean.”
Ambassador Chingapane also commended CARICOM for the “pivotal role” the Community continues to play towards finding a lasting solution to the multifaceted crisis in Haiti and noted the “significant progress” the Community has made in advancing the regional integration.
