Upgrades to the port of Walvis Bay and continued investment in the Namibian road infrastructure are capturing the attention of shippers and transporters, resulting in a 15% growth in Zambian exports and imports moving on the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor in 2017, according to the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG).
As a land-linked country, Zambia has various options in terms of trading routes to the international world. Although at least five different seaport options are available to Copperbelt shippers, the Port of Walvis Bay is increasingly becoming the preferred trade route due to the various competitive advantages if offers.
Cargo travelling along the Walvis Bay-NdolaLubumbashi Development Corridor averages three to four days, according to WBCG acting CEO Clive Smith Support for the corridor has also come from the Zambian government. Speaking at a June WBCG information session in Lusaka, Zambian transport and communications minister Brian Mushimba and his Permanent Secretary Lungu Misheck encouraged traders to investigate using the Namibian Port and Zambia’s dry port facility located inside the Port in Walvis Bay.
“This event is a good testimony of the good bilateral relations that exist between Zambia and Namibia, and the policies and programmes being pursued by the two countries to transform Zambia and Namibia into regional transport hubs in the SADC and Comesa regions,” he said. Namibia’s works and transport deputy minister James Sankwasa, and Namibia’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Leonard Nambahu, were part of the Namibian delegation that met with representatives of the Zambian government, traders and the logistics community.
“Great emphasis has been placed on the enhancement of infrastructure to link Namibia with the region politically, socially and economically.
“The vision of developing Namibia into a regional transport turntable for the Southern Africa Development Community has led to significant investment in upgrading our transport infrastructure to meet international standards,” said Sankwasa.
We serve as a central chamber for the transport industry with an aim to develop Namibia as a gateway to the SADC region. –Clive Smith
