WALVIS BAY – President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta says Africa will only succeed in propelling Intra-African cooperation if they collectively address issues such as corruption and illegal fishing.
Kenyatta toured the Port of Walvis Bay on Saturday with his delegation to see how the port can enhance efficiency and service delivery. “We are here to learn from how Namibia is benefiting from its blue economy even as we continue to support and partner with them in various other fields. The Port of Mombasa and Walvis Bay are similar because they serve many nations in the interior of Africa,” the President explained. Touring the new container terminal, Kenyatta said that he is impressed about Namibia’s selflessness by granting landlocked countries access through dry ports, the creation of the economic processing zone as well the import and export activities that creates additional jobs for Namibians.
“This is something that we will study and want to emulate as it can only enhance port efficiency and increase trade while at the same time create much needed jobs,” he said. He added that this kind of engagement will allow landlocked countries to manage their own cargo while Kenya will only focus on port efficiency.
“The Port of Mombasa and Namport will also partner in the areas of efficiency enhancement, to bridge the gaps in management and administration that often lead to corruption,” Kenyatta explained.
Namport Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bisey Uirab said Namibia will be visiting Kenya in the coming weeks to exchange expertise in terms of the single window system Namibia is currently working on. “We have already requested guidance from Kenya in the setting up of the single window system for processing and clearing transit cargo across many borders. The system allows importers to input data once, which is then used by all countries through which the goods pass on their way to their destinations. We simply are trying to avoid mistakes made by others when they set up the system,” Uirab explained.