Latching onto the benefits of the Walvis Bay Corridor

Hellmann Zambia is one of the pioneers of the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor (WBNLDC), thanks to country manager Vichaya Chungu’s knowledge of the route. Chungu headed up the Lusaka office for the Walvis Bay Corridor Group for five years before joining Hellmann to open the company’s first office in Zambia. For the first year the focus has been on forwarding, which is where the economics major and MBA graduate started her logistics career. In order to make the route cost-effective for Hellmann’s clients, Chungu had to source export cargo to ensure that the trucks fetching goods from Walvis Bay did not travel down empty. A number of products and commodities are now being exported through Namibia. The benefits of using Walvis Bay include shorter sea transit times due to the efficiencies of the port and better security. “We are trying to get more agricultural produce to send out through Walvis Bay,” she says. The opening of the Walvis Bay route gives exporters and importers an alternative option to Dar es Salaam, where “truckers are having the time of their lives and we have to dance to their tune,” she says. Durban and Dar es Salaam are, however, more competitive and a better choice in many cases. Hellmann Zambia is also well positioned to help move the freight as the group has offices in both the South African and Tanzanian ports. “All our offices are networked, and we can track shipments throughout the sub continent and the rest of Africa,” she says. Hellmann has offices or representation in most African countries. Having the network in place also makes it easier to quote rates, and to plan shipments. Some breakthroughs are being made in the promotion of intra African trade, with Kenya now moving cargo into Zambia. Chungu says companies that realise that Africa is as much an export destination as the East, Europe or the Americas may be surprised by the potential of their home market.