Funded by US Trade and Development Agency
WHILE THE Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC) is operating successfully as a vehicle transport route for freight between Walvis Bay and Gauteng, a multi-modal system operating along the same route is now envisaged.
“It’s early days yet, but we are awaiting the details of a study, funded by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), before a decision is taken on where to go from here,” says Frank Gschwender, executive business director of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG).
The study was launched in February this year and investigates the viability of a rail service connecting Gobabis in Namibia with Lobatsi in Botswana, which forms the railhead of the Gauteng-Botswana service. This will require some 700km of rail infrastructure, mostly across desert areas.
The US study coincides with The European Commission (EC) funded feasibility study on the status of the total WBCG development strategy. Its aim is to identify weaknesses and propose improvements aimed at fully utilising the three Corridor routes - Trans Kalahari (to Botswana and South Africa), Trans Caprivi (serving Zambia) and Trans Cunene (to southern Angola).
The study’s objectives include the sourcing of necessary resources for the improvement projects identified.
“This is all part of our commitment to engage in concept development and capacity building in the transport and corridor sector in order to increase the competitiveness of the corridor as a route for imports and exports for Namibia and neighbouring SADC countries,” says Gschwender.
“Remember, the WBCG’s main development objective is to increase transport into the region to landlocked neighbouring countries. We need to attract trans-Atlantic trade along the corridor routes, thus maximising the use of the transport infrastructure.”
