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BEST OF NAMIBIA - Volume 2

Page 196

Connecting southern Africa to and from the rest of the world Trans-Cunene Corridor The Trans-Cunene Corridor links Walvis Bay’s port to southern Angola via Tsumeb and Ondangwa to Oshikango in Namibia and the Santa Clara border post in Angola. It is perfectly positioned to service the two-way trade between Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Europe, the Americas and the East with the rail line that has been completed up to the Angolan border this year. The WBCG Wellness Service Programme is proactively involved in mainstreaming the HIV/AIDS response by assisting transport companies in Namibia to design and implement workplace HIV/AIDS – Wellness interventions.

The WBCG, a Public Private Partnership (PPP), was established in the year 2000 as a service and facilitation centre to promote the benefits of using the Walvis Bay corridors through the port of Walvis Bay to and from southern Africa by emphasising on the short transit times compared to the costs of the complete logistics supply chain; to faciliate the removal of trade barriers along the Walvis Bay corridors through the port of Walvis Bay; to enhance the utilisation of the Walvis Bay corridors through projects such as the Spatial Development Initiatives; and striving for Namibia to become the Logistics Hub for southern Africa. Our members: Namibia Logistics Association (NLA); Namibian Ports Authority (NAMPORT); Walvis Bay Port Users Association (WBPUA); TransNamib Holdings; Container Liners Operators Forum (CLOF) Walvis Bay Municipality; Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI); Ministry of Finance: Department of Customs; Ministry of Trade and Industry: Investment Centre; Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication: Department of Transport; Roads Authority; and Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration: Department of Immigration Trans-Kalahari Corridor The Trans-Kalahari Corridor links the port of Walvis Bay to Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, the heartland of South Africa’s industrial capital, Gauteng and Zimbabwe. It is perfectly positioned to service the two-way trade between South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Europe, the Americas and the Far East. This corridor allows for 48 hours’ transit to and from Gauteng. Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor (WBNLDC) (aka TransCaprivi Corridor) The WBNLDC provides the shortest route between the Namibian west coast ports of Lüderitz and Walvis Bay and the vital transport hubs of Livingstone, Lusaka and Ndola in Zambia, Lubumbashi (southern DRC), and Zimbabwe. It is perfectly positioned to service the two-way trade between the SADC region and Europe, North and South America and emerging markets in the East, allowing four to five days in transit to and from Lusaka, Harare and Lubumbashi. The Katima Mulilo Bridge across the Zambezi River connects the Livingstone-Sesheke Road, facilitating an increase in commercial and general traffic on the Trans-Caprivi Corridor and stimulating economic activity along it.

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Best of Namibia

Regional stakeholders and partnerships Regional support to ensure harmonisation of standards, allowing for the smooth flow of trade between borders, is ensured through the establishment of regional committees and partnerships with regional bodies, under which the Trans-Kalahari Corridor Management Secretariat is made up of government and private sector representatives from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The Trans-Caprivi Corridor Cluster and the Walvis BayNdola-Lubumbashi Corridor Management Committee, which is a partnership between DRC, Namibia and Zambia, were also established to address problems, which could impede the smooth movement of goods across the borders along the Walvis Bay-NdolaLubumbashi Corridor. With the rapid growth in cargo volumes along the Walvis Bay corridors through the port of Walvis Bay and the benefits that the trade routes have to offer, Walvis Bay has been identified to become the logistics hub for Southern Africa. This has been supported by the National Development Plan 4 (NDP4) that has prioritised the creation of a Logistics Hub. Already, the port of Walvis Bay is gearing itself to accommodate the increased capacity through the port expansion. In an effort to further support the acceleration of corridor development, the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Namibia with the support of the Department of Trade in South Africa has mandated the WBCG to identify ways of attracting investment along the Walvis Bay corridors through the Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) programme. The initial focus in terms of economic activities will be on the mining, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries and logistics sectors. The WBCG accordingly has a portfolio for projects and funding, to identify, formulate and manage corridor projects in order to ensure and mobilise international support and funding. Namibia has an important role to play in that the port of Walvis Bay is strategically located on the West Coast of Africa serving as a strategic link to southern Africa, along the Walvis Bay Corridors.

Head Office Tel + 264 61 25 1669 Email: marketing@wbcg.com.na Sao Paulo, Brazil: Tel +55 11 5044 7701 Email: ricardo@wbcg.com.br Lubumbashi, DRC: Tel +322 386 5109 Email: bdm@wbcg.cd Johannesburg, South Africa Tel +27 11 258 8912 Email: bdm@wbcg.co.za Lusaka, Zambia: Tel +260 21 124 1329 Email: bdm@wbcgzm.com www.wbcg.com.na


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