Zambia’s Acting High Commissioner to Botswana Brighton Litula says Botswana and Zambia relations are anchored on two frameworks namely; the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS) and the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC).
Speaking when a team of Zambia Defence Services Command and Staff College Delegation paid a courtesy call on him, Mr Litula said the two countries were considering elevating the framework to a binational cooperation to be headed by the Heads of State from Botswana and Zambia.
He said so far, 23 sessions of the JPCDS have been held with the recent one being in June which resulted in the signing of three (3) agreements between the two countries in various areas aiming at strengthening of co-operations in defence and security matters. These are the Memorandum of Agreement on Defence Cooperation, Treaty on Extradition and Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance.
Meanwhile, Mr Litula said there was high potential of trade between Zambia and Botswana in the agriculture sector especially in the areas of livestock and livestock feed.
“There is high potential for trade in livestock and livestock feed between the two countries given that the country has a large population of cattle. Botswana exports about nine thousand tonnes of beef to the European Union annually. So, we want to learn how they are able to achieve such a milestone. We are working around with our colleagues here to see how best we can leverage our cordial bilateral relations in this country,” Mr Litula said.
Mr Litula added that there was also a high demand of Zambian education by Batswana at the tertiary level offered by Zambian Institutions and Universities.
He said the Kazungula Bridge was a symbol of the high-level cooperation that exists between Zambia and Botswana which had so far brought tremendous mutual benefits to both countries.
And Leader of the delegation Colonel- Coordination at Zambia Staff College Col. Innocent Chewe said the tour in the country would be of benefit to the military students.
The Zambia Defence Services Command and Staff College delegation are in Botswana for a seven-day study tour.
