CHAMWE KAIRAÂ
The government wants the Trans-Kalahari Rail Corridor Development Project, a joint project with Botswana, to be implemented as soon as possible.
The Trans-Kalahari Railway project is poised to yield substantial socioeconomic advantages, such as significantly enhancing the rail capacity of Botswana Railways and TransNamib Holdings Limited.
Additionally, it promises to alleviate the strain on regional road infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of accidents involving heavy trucks and smaller vehicles, as freight transportation shifts from road to rail.
Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, told a meeting of officials of the two countries that the governments of Namibia and Botswana are committed to developing the project, whose idea was first discussed in 2010. The project has been identified as a transformative regional infrastructure initiative to enhance trade and economic integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The project is expected to cost around US$10 billion and will connect the two countries’ rail networks, providing a vital link for trade and transportation.
Botswana’s transport and infrastructure minister, Noah Salakae, said the project will help the economic transformation of both countries.
Salakae said the project is in line with Botswana’s new Infrastructure Investment Plan, which aims to unlock economic opportunities through infrastructure expansion.
The pre-feasibility study and the development of a roadmap to guide dialogue and implementation on the project have already been completed.
Both Salakae and Mutorwa hinted that the project may be funded through a public-private partnership model.
The two countries also view the Trans-Kalahari Rail Corridor Development Project as strategic as part of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area under the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The project will involve the construction of a railway line, envisioned to be approximately 1500 km long, stretching from Mmamambula in Botswana to Walvis Bay in Namibia.
Also projected to be part of the project is a coal export terminal at the Botswana Dry Port located in Walvis Bay. This project intends to integrate the Botswana railway system with the Namibian railway network, facilitating efficient and cost-effective access to the Botswana Dry Port in Walvis Bay.
The project is anticipated to facilitate the transportation of 14 million tonnes annually in its inaugural year of operation, with the potential to increase to 56 million tons per annum by its 30th year of service, as revealed in project tender documents.
