The transition to green energy across the globe, especially through the use of electronic vehicles (EV), is driving massive expansion in places like Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where mining produces 70% of the world’s cobalt – a major EV battery requirement.With at least 10 new mines on the DRC mining registry’s books, projections point to cobalt production output growing fourfold by 2030.Based on increased demand, the pace of manufacturing is putting additional strain on transporters responsible for moving ore to the various sub-Saharan ports, says Klokke van Blerk, operations manager at the cross-border service provider, Korridor.This creates a significant inf lux to ports like Walvis Bay. He believes that a definitive development in the regional road freight industry is the multimodal bridge at Kazungula, allowing Korridor to provide its products and services for the benefit of transporters. “Kazungula is running very nicely; it’s a real game-changer,” says Van Blerk about the bridge that now crosses the Zambezi where trucks used to queue in Botswana and Zambia to cross the river by ferry.“It’s a well-run border at the moment.“Yes, there are still issues from time to time, but few and far between compared to what the crossing used to be like.“Everything is housed in one building and trucks generally take three to four hours to cross.“We also now have a branch at the border helping drivers to cross quicker, using our cashless solutions.”
