Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana have agreed the Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a strategic project for regional economic integration.
As such, with this strong political backing and directives to speed up its implementation, the corridor could soon play a bigger role in transforming SADC’s economy.
The agreements have stemmed from the recent introductory official visits by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to the two countries last week.
“What we need is just the political will, and then to act on any decisions that we are taking, which is aimed to serve our people,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said in Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
She added that the Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a critical infrastructure project that will help Namibia and its neighbours grow their economies, and create jobs.
“What we are discussing here is how best, as two countries, we can facilitate trade between our countries,” she said.
She called on businesses from Namibia, Zimbabwe and the wider SADC region to use the infrastructure being developed.
“We are also calling on the businesspeople from Namibia, from Zimbabwe and in the region, to collaborate and make use of these infrastructures that we are putting up,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The veteran diplomat and politician added that Namibia has made special trade facilities – known as dry ports – available to neighbouring countries at its ports and encouraged the private sector to take full advantage of these.
The president informed the media in Harare: “In Namibia, we have given all our neighbours a dry port. They are managed by the governments, but they are meant for the private sector, for them to do business.”
She emphasised the broader impact of such cooperation: “The whole idea is for us to grow our economies together so that we can create the necessary jobs that are needed in our countries. And in so doing, we are now fighting poverty and reducing the gap between the haves and have-nots.”
Speaking during the engagement, Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed gratitude for Nandi-Ndaitwah’s visit, describing it as a reaffirmation of the strong and growing ties between the two nations.
“I’m happy that my sister found the opportunity to visit Zimbabwe. I’m so grateful for finding the time to come and discuss,” he said, adding that the relations between Zimbabwe and Namibia are “strengthening and continuing to deepen.”
Botswana
What is more, the Trans-Kalahari Corridor was also discussed during Nandi-Ndaitwah’s meeting with Botswana president Duma Boko earlier last week. President Boko strongly supported the project and said it must be fast-tracked.
“We have several projects that are bubbling beneath the surface. They need to now reach the surface and boil over so that they are translated into action. The railway line that should connect us, is something that we need to push with some seriousness, with some speed,” he said.
He called for immediate action by the relevant ministers of both countries, “We have asked our two foreign affairs and international relations’ ministers to work speedily on the Trans-Kalahari Corridor.”
Boko further emphasised that the free movement of goods and people should be enhanced.
“We need to remove all blockages and barriers to trade, the flow of trade. We must build from historical and social connections to economic ties that bind us… Botswana and Namibia must grow and develop together,” he urged.
He also thanked Namibia for providing Botswana land for a dry port at Walvis Bay.
Trans-Kalahari
The Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a major transport route that links Walvis Bay port, through Botswana, to South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was launched in 1998 to promote trade and reduce the cost and time of moving goods across Southern Africa. The corridor supports road and rail infrastructure, and has become an important route for transporting goods such as minerals, agricultural products, fuel and manufactured goods.
The corridor spans more than 1 900 kilometres, enabling landlocked Botswana and Zimbabwe to access global markets through Namibia’s Atlantic Ocean port. It is part of a broader regional effort under SADC to integrate infrastructure, boost trade and foster development.
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