Bullish Makwinja Gets Dry Port On Its Feet
Monitor Correspondent | Monday November 26, 2018 13:59
Initiatives by Botswana Railways (BR) chief executive officer, Leonard Makwinja have contributed to the increased traffic at the dry port facility.
High net importers like the army and police are some of the major clientele successfully courted by both government and BR, to use the Atlantic Ocean route.
Already Botswana Defence Force had early this year used the route to transport its cargo from Britain, which included a significant number of vehicles.
On Thursday the Botswana Dry Port company, known as Sea-Rail Botswana launched its logo in Gaborone, where targeted stakeholders including the army, the police, DIS, logistics companies, were invited to learn firsthand about the advantages of the Walvis Bay route over the traditionally preferred Durban.
Stakeholders learnt that the distance to Walvis Bay was the same as that to the dam, 900km, from Gaborone, and that Walvis Bay held more advantages with less congestion on the road, at the ports, where clearing of goods is much swifter.
The stakeholders also learnt that in terms of safety on the road, the Walvis Bay route has fewer incidents of violent crimes than its South African counterpart, thereby giving importers and exporters the peace of mind as they transact through Walvis Bay.
It was the issue of the costs of imports through the Atlantic Ocean that caught the interest of the stakeholders who had earlier seemed to conclude that the costs of importing via the Atlantic oceans would be naturally prohibitive due to the distance between Walvis Bay and the major trading partners, namely China and India.
However, the stakeholders learnt that the Walvis Bay facility boasts of one of the cheapest shipping companies whose shipping costs are even more preferable than the Durban shipping coasts.
Stakeholders were encouraged to use the shipping companies that are currently working with the Walvis Bay to make shipping costs cheaper than through the Durban route.
Meanwhile, Makwinja added more excitement about the Walvis Bay route when he announced that his company is nearing the signing of Memorandum of Agreement with a Namibian rail company.
The deal would see goods being transported via railway line to Walvis Bay, from Gobabis, near the Botswana-Namibia border.
Makwinja hailed the initiative saying it would reduce the distance to Walvis Bay by 600km, while availing the rail transport opportunities for Botswana mining activities in Gantsi and Maun areas to export their copper, and coal through the Namibian railway line to the sea.
He also said the Botswana-Namibia rail route would also come in handy for meat exporters.Meanwhile today, BR is scheduled to host stakeholders regarding opportunities for the envisaged rail links of Kazungula, Mosetse, and Lephalale.