Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibia must move faster in developing its transport corridors to stay competitive in Africa’s growing trade network, Minister of Works and Transport Veikko Nekundi said at the US-Africa Business Summit in Angola this week.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this publication during the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, Nekundi said Namibia has learned valuable lessons on how to improve regional trade links and transport infrastructure. His focus was especially on upgrading railway lines that connect Namibia with other African countries.
“Our primary focus and benefit at this very important US-Africa Summit is really on the issues of corridors and the main enablers of trade facilitation within African trade corridors,” Nekundi said.
He stressed the importance of finishing key transport routes such as the Trans-Kunene Corridor, Trans-Zambezi Corridor and Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which link Namibia to Angola, Zambia and other countries in central and Southern Africa.
“Namibia needs to move very fast in developing and promoting its various corridors, in particular the corridors that are moving upward north, upward Africa,” Nekundi said. “There are many other corridors being developed that will be competing with Namibian corridors. So, the longer we take, the more we will be disadvantaged.”
Nekundi warned that Namibia risks missing out on trade benefits if it delays infrastructure expansion.
“It’s an issue of the first-entry benefit,” he explained. “It can give us the appetite to ensure that we expeditiously develop these corridors, in particular the railway corridors that so far have not been developed.”
He highlighted the urgent need to fast-track railway links from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo into Zambia, from Gobabis to Botswana and from northern Namibia to Angola via Santa Clara and Oshikango.
“These are very important corridors that must be expedited in order for us to benefit first and not be left behind,” he emphasised.
The minister also confirmed that he met with his Angolan and Zambian counterparts at the summit to strengthen cross-border cooperation. “We must collaborate together as neighbouring states,” he said. “We must not see ourselves as competitors, but as partners complementing each other.” Nekundi said the summit helped Namibia place its voice on the African agenda to push for better transport links and faster trade across borders. “These are the paramount factors that we have come to learn here as Namibia,” he concluded.
The US-Africa Business Summit brings together governments and private sector players to strengthen trade, infrastructure and development partnerships between the continent and the United States.
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