September - December 2010 - Walvis Bay Corridor Group

The Walvis Bay Corridor Group promotes itselfin BotswanaThe Walvis Bay Corridor Group promotedthe TransKalahari Corridor inBotswana during the past week. AWorkshop was held on Wednesday,17 November 2010 where variousbusiness people and people fromthe transport and logistics sectorparticipated. This formed part of theparticipation of the Global Expo inGaborone, Botswana for the period– 17-20 November 2010.The TransKalahari Corridor offersan alternative route for importersand exporters in Botswana andhereby saving at least 5-7 days intransit for goods compared to otherports in the region. Several improvementshas been put in placealong the TransKalahari Corridorwhich include the transit time at theborder which is approximately 30minutes for commercial traffic, harmonizedcustoms documentationand the joint cooperation betweenBostwana and Namibia on roadsafety and transport security matters.The TransKalahari CorridorManagement Committee which is atri-lateral arrangement between Botswana,Namibia and South wasformed in 2003 between Botswana,Namibia and South Africa and it hasbeen very pivotal in reducing bottlenecksand delays along this corridorroute.The Walvis Bay Corridor Group wasaccompanied by some of its memberssuch as the Namibian PortsAuthority and TransWorld Cargo, amajor logistics service provider inNamibia and along the Walvis BayCorridor routes.Volumes along the TransKalahariCorridor for the Botswana markethave grown during the past twoyears with much more consumablesand motor vehicles being transportedvia the Port of Walvis Bay.Some of the Botswana importersand exporters has opted for theTransKalahari Corridor since it providea real alternative for time criticalcargo.We have also experienced thatmore than 70% of the road transporterspreviously using the traditionaltrade route via the South ofNamibia to Johannesburg has nowopted for the TransKalahari Corridorwhich is a much faster and saferroute for road transportation.From left to right: Elias Mwenyo ( N amport ) ; Zunaid Pochee ( WBCGSouth Africa ) ; Markus Popken ( D eutsche Afrika-Linien ) ; Johny Smith( W BCG Head Officer ) ; Justine du Plessis ( Deutsche Afrika-Linien ) ;Wilnell Strydom ( Transworld Cargo PTY Ltd ) ; Martin Gillman( T ransworld Cargo PTY Ltd )Engaging in discussions with a potential customerThe leading trade route in southern Africawww.wbcg.com.na | e-Corridor eSeptember—December | 2010 8