Intermodal integration is key to the growth of Walvis Bay and Luderitz ports

KEVIN MAYHEW THE PORTS of Walvis Bay and Luderitz intend to play a vital role in the development of the southern African region in the future, according to the Namibian Works, Transport and Communication Minister, Joel Kaapanda. However, he said that it was vital to achieve ordered integration of various modes of transport on the corridors feeding the two ports so that Namibia becomes the chosen trade gateway for the region on Africa’s west coast. “We are well under way with our integration ideal on our two key corridors, the Trans Caprivi and Trans Kalahari, and the current construction of our northern rail link to Angola. This provides us with a more seamless link to the bulk export, landlocked countries and transit hubs of Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana and the economic the hub of South Africa, Gauteng,” he told delegates at the recent 4th Intermodal Conference and Exhibition in Swakopmund. He said the remaining challenge for Namibia and countries in the region was to develop new business and economic opportunities worldwide. News that the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) has agreed in principle to entrust the management of the Trans Kalahari Corridor to the rapidly expanding southern African logistics giant, Grindrod, augurs well for its future seamless operation. This arrangement – for which details are not yet finalised – means that Grindrod will undertake the management and marketing of the road corridor which links Walvis Bay with the Gauteng industrial hub on which the WBCG is focusing to grow business for the premier Namibian port.