Namibia and Botswana’s Joint Ministerial Committee on Transport has agreed to continue with the progression of the Trans Kalahari Railway Line project.
Construction is set to start in January 2025.
During the discussion, the two governments reached an agreement to have an expression of interest from the public to participate in the project for a pre-qualification stage between this year and February next year.
The two countries also agreed to seek funders and resources for the project to carry out a feasibility study and construct it.
Namibia’s Works and Transport Minister, John Mutorwa, says the Trans Kalahari Railway Line project will boost the two countries’ economies.
“Roads play a very important role in the transportation of people, services, and goods, but rail transportation is even better in terms of size. So, we talked about the Trans Kalahari Railway Project.”
The two ministries expressed satisfaction over the work done by the rail authorities and senior officials thus far and hoped that deadlines for the project would continue to be met.
Botswana’s Minister of Works and Transport, Eric Molale, says the railways came at an opportune time when they opened a new copper mine closer to the Namibian borders.
“The President of the Republic of Botswana opened a new copper mine in a Namibian district, and it is a copper mine that is very high yielding, close to 3 grammes per tonne, unlike other copper mines, and that means it has to be held or ever treated through Walvis Bay as a justification for a railway couldn’t have come at a better time than now.”
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