From zero to 600 000 tons in only 15 years is proof that road and rail corridor development advances national growth.According to Johny Smith, TransNamib CEO, this has been critical in Namibia where 15 years ago zero tons of transit freight was being moved through the country.“Today we have 600 000 tons of freight transported across Namibia – and this excludes all of the manganese exports. If we add all of the cargo moving by road and rail, we are close to one million tons of cargo.”
According to Smith it has not been easy, with one step forward often resulting in taking two steps back.But, he said, having a strategy in place to develop both road and rail had seen the country sticking to its guns.“It is about preserving and implementing the relevant projects that will eventually provide the economic value at national and regional level for the country.”
This often required having the confidence to build the infrastructure despite not having any of the necessary volume to justify the investment.A typical example of this, said Smith, was the alternative trade route for manganese exports out of the Northern Cape through the Port of Lüderitz.
“This railway line has been inactive for 18 years and we took the decision to open it last year. We are currently scaling up to handle 30 000 tons of manganese on this line – and by next year we are hoping to see this at one million tons per annum.”
Smith said by focusing on the opportunities, the country had developed the confidence to invest in necessary infrastructure despite not having the commodity or volumes.“In the case of the manganese exports we opened the line and the volumes arrived,” he said. “In this region there is always someone wanting to move a commodity somewhere. Build the road and rail infrastructure, the volumes will follow.”