Botswana no longer landlocked

‘AS of today, Botswana is no longer landlocked,’ the CEO of the Namibian Port Authority (Namport), Bisey Uirab, said after he and Botswana High Commissioner, Norman Molebege, signed a lease agreement for a Botswana dry port in Walvis Bay on Friday.

The 36 000m² land adjacent to the south end of Walvis Bay’s harbour and railway station will allow Botswana to have a direct link via the Trans-Kalahari corridor to a harbour. At its new dry port, Namibia’s eastern neighbour can now collect, store and distribute cargo. According to Uirab, about 5 000 tonnes of cargo were imported and exported for Botswana, via Walvis Bay’s harbour, last year.Until now Botswana had to make use of South African ports, which was costly, both financially and time wise, according to Botswana Permanent Secretary for Works and Transport Carter Morupisi. Most of Botswana’s import and export trade is with Europe.’Walvis Bay is strategically the best placed harbour for our import and export needs, and now that we have a dry port here, we can save money and time,’ he said.According to him, a feasibility study for the development of the land and the construction of infrastructure such as a warehouse, container terminal and offices are expected to be completed by the end of the year.The Director of Railway Affairs of Namibia’s Ministry of Works and Transport, Robert Kalomho, said it was Namibia’s duty to make ‘a gateway to the ocean’ for landlocked countries in the region in the form of transport corridors that facilitate trade.He said the Trans-Kalahari highway’s competitiveness would be enhanced with Botswana’s acquisition of a dry port, and said he hoped that a railway line running parallel to the highway would be realised soon.’Negotiations and proposals for the railway line are already underway, and the World Bank will soon start with a feasibility study,’ Kalomho said.Uirab said the new dry port is part of Namport’s plan to make Walvis Bay the southern African region’s port of choice.