Namibia’s Rail Cargo Volumes Decline in the Second Quarter
Chamwe Chowa Kaira
Namibia’s rail cargo volumes witnessed a significant 9.9% decline in the second quarter of this year, as reported in the quarterly bulletin by the Bank of Namibia. Although the bulletin did not specify the exact tonnage figures, it’s important to note that rail transport accounts for 15% of cargo movement in Namibia, with the remaining 85% primarily being transported via road.
TransNamib, a state-owned company, plays a central role in moving rail cargo in Namibia. They specialise in providing bulk-transport services to various key economic sectors within the country. These sectors encompass mining, construction, building materials, bulk fuel, liquids, agriculture, and heavy industry.
During the same quarter, the transport sector as a whole experienced increased activity, primarily driven by the rise in road cargo volumes. The total cargo index expanded by 8.2%, with road cargo seeing a substantial 14.5% increase, and sea cargo showing a 3.6% rise. These increases in road and sea cargo were spurred by imports of industrial and consumer goods, marking a gradual return to normal economic activity post-pandemic.
Comparatively, in the first quarter of the year, growth in the transport sector was primarily driven by sea cargo volumes. Total cargo volumes transported increased by 4.6% year-on-year, reaching 4.9 million metric tonnes. This growth was largely attributed to the significant rise in sea cargo, particularly due to imports of industrial and consumer goods.
TransNamib, as per its 2020-2021 Annual Report, managed to move a total of 1,502,711 tonnes of cargo. This cargo included categories such as mining (369,585 tonnes), agriculture (59,249 tonnes), building materials (485,076 tonnes), containers (100,871 tonnes), bulk fuel (211,498 tonnes), and bulk liquids (249,592 tonnes).
The Chamber of Mines of Namibia believes that more cargo could be transported by rail if TransNamib were to modernise its railway infrastructure.
Additionally, the Namibia Ports Authority, in its Annual Report for the 12 months ending on March 31, 2022, pointed out that the absence of a rail connection from neighboring countries to the port of Walvis Bay has limited the potential to move more cargo through Namibia. Namport has been advocating for the long-awaited rollout of the rail connection from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo.
Cross-border volumes handled by Namport increased by 10% to 1,606,984 tonnes in 2022 compared to 1,464,100 tonnes in 2021. Namibia markets itself serve Southern Africa’s landlocked countries with links to Namibia’s air, rail and road networks. Namibian port main transport arteries are the Trans-Kalahari, Trans-Cunene and the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi development corridors.
Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, announced in September that Namibia is actively coordinating the extension of the Grootfontein-Katima Mulilo railway project. This cross-border rail initiative aims to link new mines and mining activities to the railway network along the Walvis Bay – Ndola – Lubumbashi Development Corridor, thereby facilitating the transportation of minerals from the Copperbelt of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Walvis Bay.