Staff Writer
Namibia’s long-term trade prospects are increasingly tied to the development of rail infrastructure, with the Walvis Bay-Karibib freight corridor already operational and plans for links to Zambia and Botswana emerging as key priorities, according to Almandro Jansen of Simonis Storm Securities.
The developments come as Namibia seeks to strengthen its position as a regional logistics hub and protect freight volumes moving through the Port of Walvis Bay amid growing competition from alternative corridors in Southern Africa.
In July 2026, Kaleido Logistics and TransNamib launched a 185-kilometre freight rail corridor between Walvis Bay and Karibib.
The service is targeting 25 000 tonnes of freight per month and is expected to remove about 735 heavy goods trucks from the coastal road each month.
Jansen said although the targeted volumes are small compared with the millions of tonnes handled through Walvis Bay, the corridor provides a commercial test of increased rail freight use in Namibia, where rail currently accounts for less than 1% of trade by transport mode.
A much larger infrastructure project is the proposed Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR), a planned 1 900-kilometre railway linking Walvis Bay with Windhoek, Gaborone and Johannesburg. The TKR is estimated to cost about US$9.5 billion, with Phase 1 feasibility completed in 2026.
The project is expected to be driven initially by Botswana’s coal exports, although its potential freight base could expand to include South African minerals and, under a higher-growth scenario, copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Walvis Bay route is estimated to be about 1500km to 2000km shorter than alternative routes through Dar es Salaam or Durban for copper originating in the western Copperbelt. The shorter distance provides potential savings in transport costs and transit time.
The two-way trade relationship is closely linked to the movement of minerals and other goods from the Copperbelt through Namibia’s logistics network.
However, Namibia’s exposure to Zambia’s mining sector was highlighted during the 2026 fiscal year when drought-related water shortages at the Kariba Dam contributed to severe electricity shortages and load-shedding in Zambia.
The disruptions affected mining and processing operations in the Copperbelt, reducing copper concentrate production available for export. The decline in production also affected freight volumes handled through Walvis Bay compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
At the same time, Namibia faces increasing competition for Copperbelt freight from Angola’s Lobito Corridor.
The Benguela Railway, which connects Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito with eastern Angola and the DRC-Zambia border area, is being rehabilitated as part of efforts to develop an alternative route for mineral exports from the Copperbelt.
