GABORONE, August 15 — Officials from Botswana and Namibia convened on Friday at Maun in Botswana’s North West District for a Joint Ministerial Committee meeting to assess progress on the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) project.
During the meeting, Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, and Namibia’s Minister of Work and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, have noted that the joint railway project is on track and within budget in line with the approved Roadmap.
They have also reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing the project as a strategic infrastructure initiative, aimed at enhancing regional connectivity, trade, and socio-economic development between Botswana, Namibia, and the wider Southern African region.
The joint railway project “promises more than a railway line. It promises to advance our goals of economic diversification, poverty reduction, and inclusive growth,” Salakae said at the meeting’s opening. Calling the project “too important to fail,” Salakae said that with improved access to African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area, the railway has the potential to create jobs and build skills.
“If the feasibility numbers do not immediately convince financiers, we must not fold our arms. We must innovate, adapt, and build the partnerships that will make it happen,” he urged, encouraging technocrats to explore innovative financing by blending public, private, and development capital.
For his part, Nekundi described the TKR as a strategic tool to unlock regional trade, generate employment, and attract investment across both countries and beyond. “As we will be approaching the next phase of securing private sector investment, finalizing financial models and ensuring regulatory and operational readiness, let us remain committed to delivering this project through a transparent, public-private partnership that brings value to our nations,” he said.
Botswana and Namibia signed an agreement in March 2014 to construct the 1,500-km railway, linking Botswana’s coal mines to Namibia’s port of Walvis Bay.
Xinhua
