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.