Namibia drives home geographical advantage

Namibia has responded to the opportunities created through the globalisation of trade by finding ways to exploit its natural geographic advantage, according to works and transport minister Alpheus !Naruseb. In a speech read on his behalf by Damien Mabengano, deputy director of transport regulation, at the annual Logistics and Transport Workshop hosted by the Namibian-German Centre for Logistics, !Naruseb said “the advances in logistics have opened up both challenges and opportunities for developing countries.” Namibia’s response has been to position itself as the preferred logistics hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by 2025. All industries required logistics, and the number of international companies wanting to come to Namibia as a result of the positioning of the country as a logistics hub was “astounding,” Walvis Bay Corridor Group projects manager of the logistics hub Clive Smith told the workshop. A number of challenges have been identified and are being addressed. “The development of Namibia into a logistics hub is a long-term project,” said !Naruseb. “This will be a very complex process with many facets. It is worth noting that in the National Development Plan 4 and carried forward in the recently released NDP 5, the government makes the point that ‘modern, reliable infrastructure is critical for high and sustained economic growth. Without such infrastructure, almost everything in the economic value chains tends to be slower, less reliable and more expensive than necessary. This is true for both physical and knowledge infrastructure.’ “The need for physical infrastructure is clear as is the need for development of trade by people such as the ‘Corridor Group’, but the need for ‘soft skills’ such as training and education, although perhaps less obvious, is equally important. “In terms of the physical infrastructure, the various corridors that have been developed serve not only Namibia but also a number of our land-locked neighbours. “Namibia has one of the highest road density to population ratios in the SADC region, making the maintenance of this infrastructure, per capita, very costly. “Therefore, we need to ensure that our infrastructure is used effectively to facilitate trade across southern Africa. “The Ministry of Works and transport supported by the corridor groups, African Development Bank, and the ports’ authority is currently investing heavily in the expansion of the port of Walvis Bay and links to our neighbouring countries to ensure that there will be sufficient capacity to support economic growth.” Investment in infrastructure was not enough, however, and Namibia had to ensure that it had the skills required, he added. “We as a country cannot compete if we do not meet and maintain the standards required internationally by the logistics and transport sector. “As a logistics hub, Namibia would be expected to deliver a wide range of services – from transport and storage solutions to customised integrated supply chain management.” The minister pointed out that education and training ranked as the second highest issue bringing down the country’s ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index scorecard. “One of the major challenges towards meeting the goals set in all of our developmental plans is the availability of a skilled, qualified and experienced labour force to develop and manage the envisaged operations,” he said.