Botswana’s Dry Port in Walvis Bay, Namibia, has increased accessibility for Botswana nationals linking them to the international markets, according to the acting deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ms Onalenna Sechele.

Speaking at the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat’s Beyond Borders Information Session (TKCS) in Gaborone on March 25, Ms Sechele said the project that was spearheaded by Botswana Railways was completed last year and now operational.

The objective of the gathering was to disseminate information on the latest developments on the Walvis Bay Corridors

She said of late, Botswana witnessed a steady increase in imports and exports through the Port of Walvis Bay, hence the need to seriously consider this port as an alternative trade route and said a large portion of consignments being transported through this corridor include vehicles and general cargo.

Ms Sechele said what is to be witnessed are tangible economic benefits for the people of SADC region and said semi urban and rural villages dotted along major transport routes will also have scope for development through service industries, market integration and most all, through decentralised employment opportunities.

She said as SADC citizens and especially leaders, they have an immense task and responsibility to translate the economic opportunities into tangible returns. 

She stated that the development of corridors promotes regional economic growth with the aim of intensifying economic activities to and from markets along the various corridors and it is indeed befitting of them to regard trade and transport corridors as an emerging development solution offering immense potential for developing states.

Ms Sechele said the Walvis Bay Corridors efficiency continues to increase because of the unique Public Private partnership existing between Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, which have been instrumental to identify and resolve hurdles to trade along the corridors.

She said through this partnership the three governments continue to work on the betterment of the transport infrastructure along these corridors and as such the corridor contributes towards intra-SADC and global competitiveness, thus integrating the economies into the global economy. 

Ms Sechele urged the TKCS and the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) to continue with the good work they are doing for the benefit of the three countries international trade which would in turn develop their economies for the benefit of their people.

For his part, the manager for sales and service at the Namibian Port Authority (NAMPORT), Mr Elias Mwenyo said NAMPORT’s contribution value to Botswana market by linking the country with other SADC countries which will ultimately increase the container handling at the Botswana’s dry Port which will be destined to other countries such as Zimbabwe and Zambia to mention a few.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer at the Botswana Railways, Mr Dominic Ntwaagae said their mandate as BR is to provide transportation of goods and passengers, safely, efficiently and cost effectively and more importantly to meet customers’ expectation.

He said through their subsidiary company registered in Namibia called the Sea Rail Botswana, its main objective is to consolidate maritime goods into inter-modal and long distance transport flows and also improve cargo processing through coordinated operations to facilitate collection and distribution of local, regional and international transport.

Mr Ntwaagae said the Botswana Dry Port is integrating Botswana and the SADC region with Walvis Bay Port and strengthens multi-modal solutions and create opportunities for new services and also reduce total transport and logistics costs as well as journey time.