On Friday, June 29, 2012, The International Organization for Migration (IOM) awarded 37 Botswana Immigration officials with certificates for successfully completing training on Migration Management. The Deputy Director of Immigration and Citizenship and the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate Services) attended the graduation ceremony.

IOM experts from the African Capacity Building Centre (ACBC) based in Tanzania trained 16 trainers from 18-26 June 2012 by. The trained trainers further trained 21 officers from the Botswana’s Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Gaborone headquarters and border crossing points from 27-29 June 2012.

The trainings were aimed at enhancing the capacity of Botswana’s immigration service and address the capacity constraints in migration management and passport verification hence contributing to enhanced border efficiencies.

IOM has also equipped a National Training Centre for immigration officers for further capacity building by the Botswana government. The centre is equipped with 17 computers, reference materials on migration management, such as Passport Examination Procedures Manuals (PEPM) and passport verification equipment (UV lamps, magnifiers etc.).

In the wake of globalization, movements of people has increased tremendously, calling for the adaptation of immigration and border management structures to better and efficiently manage movement of people and prevent trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants while protecting the rights of migrants.

“IOM is committed to provide guidance and expertise to governments in order to improve migration and border management. IOM will continue to provide assistance to migrants and governments along the entire spectrum of migration, and is convinced of the necessity to continue supporting the Botswana governments’ efforts to meet migration operational challenges,” says IOM South Africa Acting Chief of Mission Dr. Erick Ventura.

Botswana experiences irregular migration and is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking, according to the US State Department’s 2012 Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Report.

Efficient border and immigration management policies and structures, supported by professional and well trained immigration and border officers, foster smooth movement management at borders and prevent irregular migration, but also enable to detect smuggled migrants and trafficked persons with the ultimate objective of dismantling organized crime networks and protecting the rights of these vulnerable persons.

Botswana became an IOM member state in November 2010. As the principal inter-governmental organization in the field of capacity building on migration and border management, IOM is increasingly called upon by States to assist in addressing today’s complex migration and border management challenges.

The USD 200,000 project was funded through the IOM’s Development Fund.