Lusaka office drums up Zambia business

Very few transport corridors have been expecting positive growth taking the global economic meltdown into consideration, but that’s not true of the Walvis Bay Corridors which are gradually coming of age. The three corridors that include the Trans Caprivi (TCC), Trans Cunene (TcuC) and the Trans Kalahari Corridors (TKC) saw a dramatic growth of 63% in May this year compared to the same time last year, according to Agnetha Mouton, WBCG business development officer. “Along the TcuC, through the Port of Walvis Bay, cargo destined for Angola has seen an average of 136 trucks moving cargo along this corridor,” said Mouton. “And since the completion of the Sesheke Bridge, and the opening of a Lusaka office in Zambia, the TCC has experienced a gradual increase in cargo of more than 150%.” Mouton says that the development of facilities and infrastructure along the three corridors has gone a long way in building confidence for the routes that provide an ideal opportunity to add economic value to countries like Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe through transport. “The Namibian government has been very committed in efforts to upgrade the road and rail connections linking the Port of Walvis Bay with its neighbours so that the corridors can handle the increase in volumes of cargo.” She said commitments from neighbouring countries have also played a major role in the growth of the corridors with their infrastructure also being upgraded to ensure the smooth flow of cargo. “These routes have become popular alternatives for importers and exporters especially for the increased copper exports through the Walvis Bay Port,” she said. “To enhance the utilisation of the TKC we opened an office in Johannesburg in an effort to increase our business representation. This alternative trade route offers Gauteng and Botswana importers and exporters a time saving of five to seven days.” She said there was no doubt that through the Walvis Bay Port and corridors commodity traders in the SADC region were able to put their products on the international market earlier and vice versa via direct shipping links through Namibia.