The Embassy of Botswana in Berlin

Amb. Tswelopele Cornelia Moremi

Amb. Tswelopele Cornelia Moremi is the first resident Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to the Federal Republic of Germany, following the opening of the Embassy in Berlin in 2013. Before her appointment as Ambassador, Amb. Moremi served as founding Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union Secretariat in Windhoek, Namibia, from 2004 to 2014.

Amb. Moremi began her career at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in 1978 and progressed to the senior position of the Coordinator of Rural Development Programmes, where she was part of the Senior Management Team of the Ministry. In 1993, she was promoted to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, making her only the second female to be appointed as Permanent Secretary. During her 10-year tenure as Permanent Secretary (1993-2003), Ms. Moremi was Chief Policy Advisor of the Ministry. Notably, she led the initiative to restructure the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, resulting in the establishment of two separate ministries: Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism respectively.

Botswana and the Federal Republic of Germany have maintained cordial relations since the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1974. The presence of a resident German Embassy in Gaborone has contributed highly to the growth of bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of Wildlife, Geological Survey, HIV/AIDS, and Vocational Education.

As a country of considerable economic stability and a well established democratic tradition, Botswana is an important pillar in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Botswana has been classified as “Middle-Income-Country” due to its unique development achievements within the Sub-Sahara region. The German development cooperation mainly focuses on the integration process of SADC.

Reciprocal high-level visits have strengthened the bilateral political dialogue. Former Botswana President, Festus Mogae, visited Germany several times and former German President, Horst Köhler, was in Botswana on a state visit in April 2006. The two statesmen met again at the 2nd forum of the Partnership for Africa Initiative in in January 2007.