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Corridor Group irons out Congo glitches

The 7th Tripartite Walvis Bay – Ndola – Lubumbashi Development Corridor Technical Committee meeting was held recently at the Grand Karavia Hotel in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to address and find solutions of the high transport costs associated with using this corridor.
The meeting was held under the auspices of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland who financed the meeting.  The meeting brought together participants from the public and the private sector from the member states of the DRC, Namibia and Zambia.
At the meeting the Road Development Agency of Zambia announced the construction of the Sesheke-Mulobezi-Kaoma-Copperbelt road, which once completed will reduce the distance of the road from 1200km to 800km between Sesheke and the Copperbelt in Zambia, which forms part of the WBNLDC linking Walvis Bay to Zambia and the DRC.  This significant infrastructure milestone will lead to even shorter transit times which will result in the reduction of costs and ultimately an increase in trade.  The WBNLDC offers immense opportunities for importers and exporters since it provides an already reliable and shorter transit route between the inland and the overseas market and it is evident that it has become a viable alternative transport route to other traditional routes in the region.
Mr Johny Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of the WBCG noted that cargo volumes have doubled as importers and exporters increasingly realise the benefits of using the port of Walvis Bay and thus commended the governments of the DRC, Namibia and Zambia for the progress they have made to improve infrastructure, facilities and the economic value of the respective countries along which the WBNLDC traverse.

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