Chronicle Editor
Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
THE governments of Zimbabwe and Namibia are working on modalities to rehabilitate the railway line linking the two countries as part of efforts to facilitate the smooth movement of goods from the Zimbabwe Dry Port in Walvis Bay.
President Mnangagwa and his Namibian counterpart, President Hage Geingob, officially opened the Zimbabwe Dry Port facility in July 2019.
Zimbabwe got a 50-year lease of 1,82ha for the construction of a dry port facility in Walvis Bay. The facility is expected to provide a strategic and cheaper gateway to the Atlantic Ocean for Zimbabwean manufacturers and international businesses.
The construction of the Zimbabwe Dry Port in Namibia is in line with President Mnangagwa’s mantra that “Zimbabwe is Open for Business”.
In a speech read on his behalf by the country’s Ambassador to Namibia Mrs Rofina Chikava during a meeting in Bulawayo to promote of the Zimbabwe Dry Port as the preferred logistics hub, Deputy Chief Secretary and National Coordinator responsible for programmes and projects in the Office of the President, Engineer Amos Marawa, said the rehabilitation of the railway line linking Zimbabwe and Namibia will boost regional trade.
“The two ministries of transport and infrastructural development in Zimbabwe and works and transport in Namibia are discussing the improvement of the railways line linking Zimbabwe and Namibia so that we rehabilitate or improve the railway line. We feel that it will be a cheaper mode than road, but we will use both,” he said.
“The idea is to boost business between our two brotherly countries that have strong bilateral relations. The two ministries are going to look at these challenges to try and help our transporters so that our goods can move quickly, freely without hindrance to wherever we want to export or import.”
The rail connectivity with Namibia will be linked with a railway line from Hwange so that goods destined for the export markets are moved from there.
Even goods coming into the country from the dry port will also be transported by rail that will link Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Eng Marawa said Zimbabwe is a landlocked country but due to the solidarity with Namibia, the country is now linked to the sea following the opening of the Zimbabwe Dry Port, which is now fully operational.
“The importance of this trade mission is to engage all relevant stakeholders in Zimbabwe dealing with exports and imports in terms of trade facilitation and transport logistics for their goods to international markets,” he said.
“This meeting, the first of its kind, is a testimony of our engagements and diplomacy that brought a multi stakeholder group from Namibia to visit Zimbabwe on a mission to promote trade facilitation and share the advantage of the expanded port of Walvis Bay as the preferred logistics hub for Zimbabwe imports and exports.”
The dry port facility at Walvis Bay is expected to increase business and trade opportunities between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. – @mashnets
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