The Botswana dry port at the port of Walvis Bay acts as a key receipt and dispatch point for commodities destined for Botswana and provides regional storage and bagging.

The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), in partnership with the Botswana High Commission recently held an Investment Forum in Walvis Bay to showcase the dry port as a competitive, alternative port for use by Botswana companies. It also showcased Namibia as an investment destination for Botswana companies and investors.

Eleven private sector companies representing the transport and logistics sector in Botswana attended the forum, where the future integration plan for Botswana Railways and the dry port was shared. The strategies are geared towards the promotion of potential collaboration between Namibian and Botswana business communities.

Itumeleng Teseletso, BITC corporate communications manager said there is a growing need for Botswana to begin fully utilizing the dry port as it holds a lot of potential to develop partnership opportunities with private sector companies in the areas of transport and logistics. “The development of the facility offers exporters in Botswana an opportunity to facilitate and handle their cargo through the port as an alternative to the traditional ports,” she said.

She added that opportunities presented by the port are in line with covering transport and logistics services to and from the port, including other services offered at the facility, such as cartage services, a break-bulk terminal, stacking, storage, container handling, general purpose warehousing, empty container park and other value-added services.

The business forum was followed by a tour of Namport, as well as the Botswana dry port facility. A business networking session preceded the tour, where the delegation was given a chance to network and initiate dialogue with Namibian company representatives on possible business opportunities in Botswana and Namibia, which they could undertake jointly.