How easier border crossings lift the prosperity of nations

The introduction of simplified travel between neighboring countries can be transformational.

By making border crossings easier and more convenient, neighboring countries can encourage the easy movement of their citizens, promote good relations, and enhance social cohesion between their nations. It can help to build closer economic ties and boost trade, enhance regional cooperation and integration, and ultimately generate higher levels of growth and prosperity for both countries.

Uncomplicated travel is also important for welfare reasons, especially for those who live close to a border and need to cross regularly for education or healthcare, or to visit family and friends. And the act of making border crossings frictionless can also encourage more orderly migration.

There’s no more successful example than the Schengen Area of the European Union (EU). Spanning 27 counties, it guarantees borderless movement for the more than 425 million citizens of the EU.¹
 

Since it was established three decades ago, trade in goods and services across the area has grown steadily to the point where commerce between member countries is now 60% higher than with rest of the world. Every day 1.25 million people from one Schengen country go to work in another member state, while, annually, 1.25 billion journeys are made across Schengen borders.²

Namibia-Botswana: border crossings made easy

On a smaller scale but with many of the same ambitions in mind, the southern African nations of Namibia and Botswana simplified their mutual border controls in 2023 by allowing citizens to use their National Identity Cards as travel documents between the two countries.

Until the introduction of the joint agreement, anyone crossing the border had to present a valid passport. Not only did that discourage many citizens from crossing the border, but also the process of checking passports and stamping them with entry and exit dates could result in delays at border crossings. On the other hand, everyone over the age of 16 years in both countries is provided with an ID card.

Many of the previous barriers have been removed with the introduction of ID-card-only border crossings. A traveler now presents their identity card at a border checkpoint and is issued a receipt showing “from” and “expires” dates. Cross-border travel – whether for social, business, or tourist reasons – is then permitted for up to 30 days for each trip, limited to a maximum of 90 days in any one year.

Delivering a mutually beneficial solution

The countries aligned their systems and documents with the help of Veridos, the world’s leading provider of integrated identity solutions. Veridos experts devised a simple but effective solution that would enable easy, fast, smooth, and secure travel between the two counties: a QR code and a machine-readable zone were added to Namibia’s ID card, while Botswana’s border control system was adapted to read these ID cards without issue.

The introduction of the new border crossing option has since prompted high demand among Namibian citizens for the upgraded version of its new card. And, even at this early stage, there is evidence of strong economic benefits.

“By enabling smoother border crossings, both countries expect to boost their economies, while at the same time making life easier for many of their citizens,” says Thomas Morian, Vice President of International Relations at Veridos. “It’s a first for southern Africa, and a catalyst for trade in the region.”

The two countries share a 1,500-kilometer-long border, with five official crossing points, including the main east-west transit route in southern Africa. At the main border crossing (the Trans-Kalahari to Mamuno Border Post), where N$15 billion worth of import/export transactions are processed annually and 8,800 commercial trucks are now processed on average each month, making it necessary for the authorities to operate the crossing 24 hours a day.³

A step toward frictionless travel in southern Africa

The alignment of the Namibia and Botswana ID card systems is the first of its kind in the southern Africa region and represents a positive step toward the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC’s) longstanding objective of “the progressive elimination of obstacles to the movement of persons of the region.”⁴

The mutual recognition of ID cards provides a role model for other countries that might be considering the introduction of similar initiatives. It also points to the potential for the harmonization of card technologies that could make seamless travel across the southern African region a reality.⁵

“Smoother border controls promote the economy and culture of the countries involved,” highlights Marc-Julian Siewert, CEO of Veridos, the joint venture between G+D and Bundesdruckerei, the German government’s digital security company. “Modern border control systems represent a pivotal and strategic investment in the future of nations across the globe, safeguarding sovereignty, security, and efficient exchange in the face of global challenges.”

Published: 28/05/2024