Walvis Bay marketers take their message to the DRC

THE WALVIS Bay Corridor Group has stepped up its marketing drive to woo new business in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In partnership with the Embassy of the DRC in Windhoek, a high level delegation is currently in Lubumbashi to educate shippers in the Katanga province on the advantages of using the Port of Walvis Bay and the Walvis Bay – Ndola – Lubumbashi corridor as an alternative route. “The WBCG launched an aggressive marketing campaign a year ago to create awareness of the Port of Walvis Bay as a reliable and cost-effective alternative for the Southern African region,” business development executive Johny Smith told FTW. “Since then we have seen a lot of growth, especially on the TransCaprivi Corridor route, which links the Port of Walvis Bay via the Zambezi Bridge into Zambia and eventually the DRC into Lubumbashi.” According to Smith, the past year has seen growth of more than 140% in cargo throughput. And he sees huge potential in light of the mining and reconstruction projects in the Lubumbashi area.