Efforts to revitalise Trans-Kalahari Corridor

THE Trans-Kalahari Corridor Management Committee (TKCMC), which held a two-day meeting in Windhoek last week, has come up with plans to make progress and advance on the highway.

The TKC – a route from the Gauteng in South Africa, via Gaborone in Botswana to the port of Walvis Bay – is meant to boost trade within the region and link it to Europe and the Americas. However, it has been said that more needs to be done for the corridor – established in 1998 – to realise its maximum potential.The committee has decided to set up a permanent secretariat, which would be based at the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) headquarters in Windhoek and should be in place by September.The outgoing interim secretary, Frank Gschwender, who is also the business development executive of the WBCG, said in an interview that a Programme Coordinator for the Secretariat would soon be appointed, adding that the secretariat would focus on implementing hanging matters.The decision comes hot on the heels of a call by the Permanent Secretary of Works, Transport and Communication, Shihaleni Ndjaba, who told the TKCMC that effort had to be put into minimising the transportation and logistics costs on the highway to enhance trade competitiveness of the area.He also called for ‘concrete steps’ to be taken to finalise the establishment of the secretariat and utilise funds pledged by the member countries to deliver benefits to the corridor users.Gschwender said although quite a number of achievements had been made in harmonising border posts on the Trans-Kalahari Highway in a bid to boost commercial trade, there was still a lot more that needed to be accomplished.Gschwender highlighted some problems, such as the border between Botswana and South Africa at Lobatse, which he said was a bottleneck.He said the issue had long been on the agenda but a resolution was being delayed “for unknown reasons”.He added that aggressive promotion and marketing of the corridor was required, adding that residents of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana needed to be assured that the corridor was safe and competitive.Gschwender also said a number of projects had been discussed during the meeting and these included the integration of electronic customs systems between the three countries, future HIV-AIDS awareness programmes along the corridor and the establishment of wellness centres at ‘hot spots’ along the highway.Asked about the time frame of these initiatives, Gschwender replied: “Our time frame is to have everything done by tomorrow, but this transfer is really a process and won’t end until we have a common system in SADC.It’s a continuous process but we would like to see it all in place as soon as possible.”The utilisation of the highway is said to have increased by 200 per cent between 200 and 2005.However, it has been said that more needs to be done for the corridor – established in 1998 – to realise its maximum potential.The committee has decided to set up a permanent secretariat, which would be based at the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) headquarters in Windhoek and should be in place by September.The outgoing interim secretary, Frank Gschwender, who is also the business development executive of the WBCG, said in an interview that a Programme Coordinator for the Secretariat would soon be appointed, adding that the secretariat would focus on implementing hanging matters.The decision comes hot on the heels of a call by the Permanent Secretary of Works, Transport and Communication, Shihaleni Ndjaba, who told the TKCMC that effort had to be put into minimising the transportation and logistics costs on the highway to enhance trade competitiveness of the area.He also called for ‘concrete steps’ to be taken to finalise the establishment of the secretariat and utilise funds pledged by the member countries to deliver benefits to the corridor users.Gschwender said although quite a number of achievements had been made in harmonising border posts on the Trans-Kalahari Highway in a bid to boost commercial trade, there was still a lot more that needed to be accomplished.Gschwender highlighted some problems, such as the border between Botswana and South Africa at Lobatse, which he said was a bottleneck.He said the issue had long been on the agenda but a resolution was being delayed “for unknown reasons”.He added that aggressive promotion and marketing of the corridor was required, adding that residents of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana needed to be assured that the corridor was safe and competitive.Gschwender also said a number of projects had been discussed during the meeting and these included the integration of electronic customs systems between the three countries, future HIV-AIDS awareness programmes along the corridor and the establishment of wellness centres at ‘hot spots’ along the highway.Asked about the time frame of these initiatives, Gschwender replied: “Our time frame is to have everything done by tomorrow, but this transfer is really a process and won’t end until we have a common system in SADC.It’s a continuous process but we would like to see it all in place as soon as possible.”The utilisation of the highway is said to have increased by 200 per cent between 200 and 2005.

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