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George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
The local market has been urged to take advantage of the Zimbabwe dry port at Walvis Bay in Namibia which largely remains underused, but can be a boon for expansion and growth for local firms because of its efficiency.
The dry port was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in 2019 as part of Government’s drive to stimulate economic growth by expanding Zimbabwe’s access to the international markets to boost international trade and grow the economy.
The dry port was developed on land that was donated to the Government of Zimbabwe by the Namibian government.
Zimbabwe’s Walvis Bay dry port provides a strategic gateway to the Atlantic Ocean and so easier access to markets in North and South America, West Africa and Europe. The road across Botswana and Namibia is a high-end modern highway.The dry port gives Zimbabwean traders the scope to import and export directly to and from these markets.
National Handling Services chair Mr Franklin Mukarakate challenged the Zimbabwean market to take advantage of the Walvis Bay dry port for cheaper access to international markets via the Atlantic Ocean.
He disclosed that the dry port was one of the best in the world in terms of efficiency.
“We are trying to sensitise the Zimbabwean market to fully use this port and at one time we even engaged the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries to sensitise them on the need to use this dry port which is very efficient and I can safely say that in terms of efficiency it is one of the best ports in the world and we are continuously sensitising our market on the feasibility of using it,” said Mr Mukarakate.
“In fact, a few years back the dry port was rated amongst the top 10 in the world. We can say that its underused, but we are trying to capacitate it and I am happy that at the moment the dry port is generating enough revenue to meet its expenses, but there is scope for growth of business, we have seen cars and other equipment that is imported using Walvis Bay dry port.”
Mr Mukarakate pointed out that reports of challenges faced by traders with the Durban port in South Africa even made the use of Walvis Bay dry port more urgent.
The NHS board chair also floated the idea of extending railway access to Kazungula from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to Katima-Mulilo in Namibia.
He said such a project would be a game changer for the Zimbabwean market as the railway line can even be extended all the way to Beira in Mozambique.
The Zimbabwean dry port at Walvis Bay was built on land straddling about 19 000 square metres on land leased to Zimbabwe by Namibia for 50 years.
Online Reporter