Trans Kalahari Corridor transformation underway
Pauline Dikuelo | Wednesday October 19, 2016 16:53
TKC is a corridor expected to run from Mmamabula through six coal producing regions in Botswana to Walvis Bay in Namibia. The project, which has a capital cost in the region of $12 billion to $15 billion, is anticipated to take seven to 10-years to be completed.
Botswana and Namibia signed a MoU on the Trans Kalahari Road in 2010. The following year, a pre-feasibility study for the project was completed and the government decided to proceed with the project. Two years ago, a bilateral agreement on the project was signed.
According to TKC secretariat executive director, Leslie Mpofu, there are a number of developments going on at the corridor, which are expected to transform it from being a white elephant.
Mpofu admitted that the Walvis Bay port earlier encountered some challenges that included issues with the Namibian government, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to mention a few which led to the port being labeled a white elephant but assured that they are now moving in the right direction.
“We want to create awareness and share with the business community about the efficiency of using the port as we have realised that they are not aware. The bulk of the port is on Botswana side even though volumes and trade is not much probably because we still glued to the traditional way of doing business,” he said.
In addition, Mpofu said that the villages along the corridor should also economically benefit through trade and employment creation.
Late last year, the former coordinator of the coal development unit, Obakeng Moumakwa affirmed their talk with SADC of transforming the railway line into a multipurpose corridor rather than just a dedicated coal evacuation route. He said the changes will provide an opportunity on the railway, as it will broadly cover the freight industry as well as exportation. This will mean that there will be more continuous cargo en route to European markets from South Africa, Zambia, DRC, Zimbabwe and Namibia, he added.