Stefanus Nashama
The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana, has called on border officials to work in the spirit of unity and apply ethical standards, as they are the first face of the nation to engage with travelers.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the joint customer service training for Zambezi Region border officials on Friday, Kawana said his office has noted that communication breakdowns and lack of teamwork are some of the major issues causing the problems at the borders.
He added that unity and principles are prerequisites among border officials.
“Let us avoid working in silos. Let us learn to communicate and work as one team. We have one goal at the border, and it can’t be achieved if we work in silos,” the Minister told the border officials.
He pleaded with border officials to represent Namibia in a way that cannot disadvantage or make the country vulnerable to the external world.
The minister said the decision for travelers to come back to Namibia is determined by their experience at the port of entry. It is, therefore, imperative that border officials conduct themselves in a manner that attracts more visitors to come to Namibia for good reasons.
“As border officials, you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders, you are the face of the nation as you are the first faces travellers see and first people they engage with or experience,” he stressed.
Border officials such as immigration officers, police officers and customs officers attended the joint service customer training.
Minister Kawana has also urged border officials to work towards their responsibility by protecting Namibia from illegal entry and smuggling of prohibited goods as well as collecting revenue to develop the country’s infrastructure and build the economy.
He said some travellers may react in ways that might appear defensive or uncooperative, but border officials should never turn a blind eye to what they are supposed to do, as their responsibility at border posts.
The Minister further emphasized that although it is tedious, invasive, and in some cases uncomfortable for border officials to cope with the border situation, which in the end makes them work very difficult, this does not give them the right to mistreat travelers or engage in illicit activities that can ruin the integrity of the country and expose the country to harmful people, operations and products.
“The more polite you treat foreign guests, the more trade you bring to Namibia. In this manner, our economy has the potential to grow and thereby employ our citizens, especially our youth and women who are most affected by unemployment,” he stated.
He said being well organized and teamwork at the country’s borders is a mechanism and good image to promote trade between Namibia and other countries to grow the economy.
The workshop discussed, among others, customer service charters, ethical conduct, handling conflicts, and customer complaints, managing stress, dealing with difficult or angry customers, working in teams as well as providing quality services.
