The completion clears a critical hurdle for the implementation of the US$16 billion (about P220 billion) cross-border infrastructure project. It also marks the end of years of technical planning and ushers the project into its implementation phase, with construction targeted to commence in 2027. The feasibility study, which was prepared by international transport consultancy CPCS Transcom, provides detailed technical, engineering and financial assessments for the proposed 1,500-kilometre heavy-haul railway linking Botswana's coal-rich Mmamabula area to Namibia's Port of Walvis Bay. Once completed, the TKR is expected to fundamentally reshape Southern Africa's logistics landscape by providing Botswana with a direct freight corridor to the Atlantic Ocean while reinforcing Walvis Bay's role as one of the region's principal trade gateways.
The project is also expected to unlock new economic opportunities across mining, agriculture, manufacturing and logistics, while creating thousands of jobs during construction. Authorities estimate that the first phase alone will employ approximately 6,000 Batswana and 4,000 Namibians. Botswana's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, says the milestone represents the beginning of a transformational journey for both countries. He noted that the frequent engagements between Gaborone and Windhoek over the past year had heightened public expectations that the railway would finally move from planning to construction.
