Corridor group wants more private sector partners

PARTNERS FROM the private and public sector are driving the success of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group forward – and there’s room for more, says group business development executive Johny Smith. The corridors are showing between 30% and 60% growth rates. “But private enterprise cannot succeed without government,” he says. It was government agencies that had to decide to open the border posts and standardise customs procedures. Government is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, and government provides incentives to investors. These incentives recognise that government is as reliant on private enterprise for initiatives like the corridor projects to succeed as business is on the authorities. Smith welcomes interest that is being shown by a number of national logistics companies to become involved as partners. “Through our partners we have already cut huge amounts of red tape. That is why trucks are not kept waiting at our borders,” he says. Clients of the logistics companies will benefit from the quicker transit times through the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, while investment by the logistics operators will bring new facilities such as warehousing to the corridor.