Namibia gains traction as entry point for Angolan goods

The growth of Angola’s economy benefits the Walvis Bay Corridor Group of Namibia, and growth in WBCG port and road transport infrastructure helps Angola’s economy to grow. This symbiotic relationship has been strengthened this year, with more volumes of all manner of goods shipped into Angola via the Port of Walvis Bay and then brought by road along the Trans Cunene Corridor through Namibia and up into its northern neighbour to those areas closer to Namibia’s ports than to the main ports of Angola. “The TCC is the main route for cargo into Angola, and yes, there is a growth in cargo along the route. We are measuring cargo that goes to Angola from Walvis Bay on a monthly basis, and currently there is year on year growth,” said WBCG business development officer Agnetha Mouton Speaking from the Windhoek head office of WBCG, an organisation comprising stakeholders involved in the port and road infrastructure of Namibia, Mouton said their tracking had shown that goods sent along the TCC to Angola were largely clothing items, machinery, electrical equipment, furniture, consumer goods and increasingly motor vehicles. “The traffic volume on the Trans Cunene Corridor has grown approximately 60% when comparing May 2009 to May 2008,” Mouton said. Volumes moved along the TCC are expected to continue their upward trend. “I was in Angola recently, and in terms of its economy the country is a very import-driven market. They depend on imports, and there is an increasing need for commodities,” Mouton said. Such indicators foretell a strengthening of the Angola-WBCG synergy.