WBCG woos Finns

A DELEGATION led by the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) paid a business visit to Helsinki, the industrial hub of Finland, for one week.

The delegation consisted of nine people including representatives from TransNamib, NamPort, Namibia Freight Services, Trade Ocean Shipping Namibia, Woker Freight Services, the Roads Authority and the WBCG. The purpose was to create awareness about the use of the port of Walvis Bay as an alternative trade route for imports and exports between Finland and southern Africa, according Agnetha Mouton, Business Development Officer at the WBCG. ‘The delegation also wanted to attract Finnish operators in transport and logistics to create partnerships with Namibian counterparts; and to attract Finnish export companies to make Walvis Bay their distribution hub for southern Africa,’ Mouton added.According to Johnny Smith, CEO of the WBCG, the Namibians wanted to establish co-operation in developing the transport and logistics sector in Namibian and growing Namibia as a gateway to the southern African market. ‘We sought support, expertise and knowledge in all the three modes of transport such as port, rail and road and we familiarised ourselves with the construction, development and operations of the transport sector in Finland.’The one-week trip also included business information sessions which were hosted by the Namibian Embassy in Helsinki where NamPort and WBCG representatives made presentations to potential business partners in the transport industry. These were followed by one-on-one meetings and company visits where firms like Nurminen Logistics, Cargotec Finland, Logy, Wartsila, Proxio, Konecranes and Rambol expressed interest in utilising the Walvis Bay Corridors as an alternative trade route. Said Johnny Smith ‘We need to continually promote the Walvis Bay Corridors as the preferred trade route in southern Africa and beyond. ‘The development of the Walvis Bay Corridors will ensure economic development in Namibia and the region as we continually try to find ways as how to reduce the cost of doing business in southern Africa. The main commodities currently exported from southern Africa to Finland are fresh and dried fruits, wine, mineral products and poultry products. Exports from Finland to southern Africa are telecommunication equipment, paper products, board products, machinery, timber and wood processing, mining and metallurgical equipments and household goods. According to Smith, Namibia’s role as a gateway to the rest of the SADC region has become more prominent and has created more interest from regional and international markets. With more direct shipping calls to Walvis Bay, high efficiencies, short transit times and strategic partnerships, the Walvis Bay Corridor routes are now in a robust position to serve the SADC market to the rest of the world, Smith added.

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