Companies moving freight on the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor are benefiting from the synergies created through a membership programme introduced by the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) in 2019, according to James Kaposa, business development manager Zambia.“The membership scheme is aimed at creating business synergies among different service providers.
“Members are also being attracted by the opportunity to expand their customer base as the platform provides linkages between cargo owners and service providers,” he told Freight News.
The first to respond to the invitation to join the membership scheme were mainly freight forwarding companies and transporters. Kaposa says the Cov id-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for all logistics companies serving the corridor to work more closely together.There is an opportunity for the corridor to attract traffic from other routes in the region.
“One of the main reasons cargo owners, shipping companies and freight forwarders are attracted to the corridor is that it is congestion free, with quick turnaround times.“Investment in additional handling and storage facilities on the route has helped to significantly improve the capacity and productivity of the corridor to ensure that we remain one of Africa’s most efficient corridors,” he says.
The value of the membership will increase as more companies join and the database of available services and products grows. “It is envisaged that once Covid-19 is behind us we will witness more companies from the transport and forwarding sectors applying to join as members,” he said.