Swakopmund
Chairman of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group Bisey Uirab says the timing is right to transform Namibia’s transport corridors into economic development opportunities, in line with the country’s national ‘Growth at Home’ industrial strategy.
Uirab, who is also the CEO of Namport, said during the 15th anniversary of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) on Thursday that the Walvis Bay port is ideally located to accelerate the growth of Namibia and SADC by providing a gateway to Namibia for the region. This, Uirab said, would help the corridors become networks of supply and distribution channels to the Port of Walvis Bay.
“I am confident that the completion of the port expansion will go a long way in establishing Namibia as a logistics hub and further support government’s intention to accelerate the country’s economic growth. But for us to get there, there are key success factors [we need to achieve] to make this dream a reality,” Uirab explained.
Uirab said these key factors include infrastructure development in terms of the port, rail, roads and airports. “However, I would like to applaud the government for its unwavering support to the logistics industry through substantial investment in the development of our transport infrastructure,” he said.
“The recent investment in new road infrastructure, airport upgrades and the development of several national road infrastructure are well noted by the fraternity. These are indeed testimonies to government’s support for the industry and attainment of the vision of a logistics hub for Namibia.”
“However, we must not lose sight of the critical role played by information technology in ensuring that we maintain a competitive edge. Technology will enable crucial time savings and efficiency along the logistics supply chain, thereby ensuring faster turnaround time.
“Even with the best infrastructure we will not succeed if we do not capacitate our people to ensure that we have the necessary skills to support the effective operation of logistics in order to realise our dream of becoming a sound logistics hub,” Uirab concluded.