The Walvis Bay border post is projected to experience a significant increase in cargo movement, with daily truck traffic expected to reach 1,500 by 2029-2030.
Project Manager for the Logistics Hub at Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Gilbert Boois, said trade activities have seen an exponential increase in cargo movements, and this growth poses challenges for border efficiency and regulatory processes.
“We foresee a significant increase in cargo movement, and some of the earlier indications suggest that by 2029 or 2030, we should see around 1,500 trucks moving through the port,” he said at a recent industry event.
The anticipated surge in cargo volumes aligns with broader efforts to enhance Namibia’s logistics sector.
Boois highlighted the evolving role of international logistics service providers establishing operations in Walvis Bay, emphasising the need for improved efficiency at the Coordinated Border Management (CBM) National Strategy launch.
“It clearly cannot be business as usual. This kind of strategy really underpins the logistics initiatives we are pushing on behalf of the government. The buzzword that is really coming across in all conversations is the ease of doing business,” he said.
Boois added that efforts to streamline operations include system integration and interagency agreements, although legislative changes are expected to take time.
“There are talks of legislation that needs to be crafted, which may take another few years. There are obviously some good things and some low-end input that we can work on,” Boois noted.
The expected rise in cargo traffic follows a strong performance by Walvis Bay Harbour, which in January 2025 emerged as the main border post for exports valued at N$4.7 billion.
This was followed by Eros Airport and Katima Mulilo border post, which recorded N$2.5 billion and N$1.5 billion in export value, respectively.
On the import side, Walvis Bay Harbour maintained its position as the key entry point, attracting N$6.8 billion worth of goods.
This surpassed the Ariamsvlei and Trans Kalahari border posts, which registered import values of N$2.3 billion and N$1.5 billion, respectively.
