ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT ALONG THE TRANS CUNENE CORRIDOR
Representatives from the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) as well as from the transport industry, recently embarked upon a fact finding mission at the borders between Namibia and Angola. The purpose of the mission was to identify tariff and non-tariff trade barriers or issues that hamper smooth trade facilitation (customs, immigration, law enforcement, etc.); to identify bottlenecks and congestions along the Trans Cunene Corridor (TcuC); to identify new and important infrastructure to be erected to support trade facilitation; observe the level of trade activities happening in the area; to propose interventions to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS; to observe road safety and transport security issues; to observe the state of the infrastructure and to build relations with the stakeholders and relevant agencies. Because of the increased demand to utilise the TcuC through the Port of Walvis Bay, it is deemed necessary to address operational issues to further increase the use of the TcuC, and to make the use of this corridor a seamless process. It is apparent that the TcuC has become a popular alternative, through the Port of Walvis Bay for cargo destined for Angola, boasting an average of 136 trucks moving cargo along this corridor. 70% of the total shipments destined for Angola through the Port of Walvis Bay constitutes vehicles, which proves to be the most viable trade route to utilize. Despite, the economic slowdown, cargo volumes along the TcuC that links the Port of Walvis Bay to the southern part of Angola, still shows a significant increase by more than 33000 tonnes, in May 2009 as compared to an average of 18000 tonnes, in May 2008.
