The Namibian and United Kingdom (UK) governments are trying to find reasons for the increasing number of young Namibians going to the UK to claim asylum, British High Commissioner to Namibia, Charles Moore, has said.

Speaking to the media during a courtesy visit to State House on Tuesday, Moore said a large number of Namibians are still going to the UK to claim asylum, which remains a concern for the UK government.

In September 2022, Moore raised concern over the many young Namibians turning up in the UK claiming asylum to secure job opportunities, stressing that asylum is not for people looking for employment in the UK and that Namibians are abusing the system.

He noted that at one point in 2022, Namibia had the highest number of people seeking asylum in the UK.

Moore said Namibians are claiming asylum with various reasons, however, after assessment a vast number of cases have no grounds to claim asylum, noting that most people actually see a potential for a better life and economic enhancement in the UK.

“We still see a large number of Namibians claiming asylum in the UK, it has not decreased. We are still working on how we might address this and we have been talking to the Namibian government as well as trying to find reasons for it and see the ways to decrease it. No decision has been taken just yet… but we are still quite concerned about the numbers,” he noted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency