Plans to link Walvis Bay port to the Copperbelt in Zambia and the mineral-rich DRC will become a reality after the African Development approved a US$196.43m (N$3,7b) loan to construct a 207-km new rail track.
Namibia applied for the loan in February 2023, proposing to upgrade the railway from Kranzberg Station – Tsumeb and Otavi – Grootfontein, tying in with the proposed Trans-Zambezi Railway extension from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo via Rundu.
The African Development Bank Group approved the loan on 31 October 2023 for Namibia to implement the second phase of its Transport Infrastructure Improvement Project (TIIP).
The loan represents 51.8% of the project’s total cost, with the Namibian government providing the remaining 48.2%.
The works include constructing 16 bridges, renovating two stations, and procuring 55,000 tonnes of rails to build 518 kilometres of track.
The project entails constructing 207 km of new rail track close to the existing line between Kranzberg and Otjiwarongo, using concrete railway sleepers and new rails.
Other components include modernising the railway signalling system along the Walvis Bay-Tsumeb line to improve its reliability, safety and capacity, as well as the overall performance of the railway system.
African Development Bank director general for Southern Africa, Leïla Mokaddem, said the project will maximise the benefits and be transformative for the competitiveness of Namibia and assist in attaining the country’s Vision of becoming a regional logistics hub by 2030.
Mokaddem also said the project would catalyse development change in neighbouring countries and the sub-region.
