Corridor Group woes Botswana

The Walvis Bay Corridor Group recently suggested the increased usage of the Port of Walvis Bay as an alternative trade route for Botswana during an awareness campaign in Francistown. Since the construction of the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC), there has been several initiatives to see how best to develop the Botswana market via Walvis Bay, Namibia. Among these initiatives is the establishment of the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat (TKCS).
In his discussion, Walvis Bay Corridor Group Chief Executive Officer, Johny Smith advised entrepreneurs to take advantage of the Trans Kalahari Corridor from Walvis Bay to establish a transit hub to service countries such as Zimbabwe. “Francistown can look at establishing distribution facilities. Entrepreneurs from Francistown and the rest of Botswana can also establish offices or branches in Walvis Bay and take advantage of the current existing niches in the logistics business. There are abundant opportunities that entrepreneurs from this country can take advantage of in the logistics business in Walvis Bay,” he said.
Johny further suggested that if Francistown establishes a logistics hub, it can further attract more investment in the city and thus create employment and add value to the economy. “The Trans Kalahari Corridor presents a golden opportunity for Botswana to export and import goods in a more cheaper and effective way, which would further enhance your economy. In today’s competitive logistics environment, importers and exporters are constantly looking at alternatives for their clients aimed at reducing the time and cost of doing business within the region,” Johny said.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Neil Fitt said that corridors are important to precipitate trade and most importantly to lower transportation costs for a landlocked country like Botswana. “Botswana is a landlocked country, but through this corridor Botswana will be able to compete fairly and benefit,” he said. Mr Fitt explained that his ministry was trying to facilitate transportation and the development of the corridors as part of that process. Fitt said that the corridor speeds up transportation of goods and makes trade cheaper for people.