Speeding up border procedures smooths the flow

Namibia’s road infrastructure is up to the job of handling increased volumes required by the country’s trio of transport corridors, and border operations with South Africa are easing the flow. If only the other border posts were as efficient, local logistics firms have said. “Namibia is fairly stable in terms of logistics. Definitely the investment in roads is paying off. Because of the infrastructure I won’t say you’ve got guarantees but you’re pretty much sure when loads and vehicles will arrive. The challenge we are facing are border post issues not with South Africa but other African countries,” said Nic Hendrikse of the Namibian logistics firm FP du Toit. For now, the solution to border post crises is to have a troubleshooter on the scene to handle issues that arise. “What we’ve been doing on our side is appointing agents at various border posts, and using them to speed up the process. We are also trying to convince clients receiving shipments in those countries that they need to appoint clearing agents on their side of the border,” Hendrikse said. Realising the expense of a clearing agent is outweighed by potential losses from delayed shipments, customers are cooperative. “They have no problem with that,” said Hendrikse.