Namibia has inaugurated a new Chines-built port terminal which is expected to not only double its container capacity but also to boost the country’s tourism sector.
The 40-acre terminal reclaimed from the sea at Walvis Bay lies around 400 kilometers wets of the capital, Windhoek.
It is expected to provide a vital strategic gateway to emerging markets of southern and West Africa.
The new terminal was built by state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company with funds from the Namibian government and the African Development Bank.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be around $280 million.
“The completion of the container terminal expansion puts us on a firm trajectory towards realising our dream of transforming Namibia into an international logistics hub,” President Hage Geingob said at the terminal’s launching ceremony.
A ‘State of Logistics’ report released by the Walvis Bay Corridor Group in 2018 indicated that the new terminal would increase the capacity of the port from 350,000 containers annually to 750,000, with a potential to exceed a million in the future.
“Zambia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, and Zimbabwe are among the main land linked, now sea-linked markets for seaborne transit cargo by volume going through the port of Walvis Bay,” president Geingob said.
A proud Geingob likened the project to others done by countries elsewhere.
“Namibia has now joined countries such as Australia, Brazil, Dubai and the Netherlands in the utilisation of reclaimed land for port expansion,” he said.
The Expanded Container Terminal, which I launched today at the Port of Walvis Bay puts us on a firm path towards realising our dream of transforming Namibia into a logistics hub. The Terminal is key to world class service, increased competitiveness and job creation in Namibia. pic.twitter.com/DdSaqIoLpZ
— Hage G. Geingob (@hagegeingob) August 2, 2019
