TransNamib Accounted for Just 12% of Namibia’s Freight Volume Over Three Years
Namibia’s state railway company, TransNamib has over the past three years, transported an average of 1.3 to 1.5 million tonnes of freight annually, amounting to only 12% of the total national freight volume.
This was disclosed in parliament by Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, during a motivation statement for the ministry’s budget for the financial year 2025/2026.
Nekundi disclosed that the national desired outcome is for Namibia to have a safe and reliable rail transport infrastructure. Therefore, this programme is to plan, construct, upgrade, and maintain railway infrastructure for a safe and efficient railway network that supports socio-economic development. The ministry has requested for N$990 million to be allocated to the provision and upgrading of the railway network, Nekundi told parliament.
The minister said N$825 million will be allocated to the development of the transportation infrastructure programme.
Nekundi disclosed that 226 km of the railway line upgrading between Walvis Bay and Kranzberg was completed last year. Under this project, 78 Namibian youths satisfactorily completed theoretical and practical training in railway maintenance activities, he added.
The minister also informed parliament that the construction of the Oshakati Station buildings, platforms and civil works, including the installation of the CCTV security monitoring, was completed. This is part of the Northern Railway Line Extension Project. Phase I (246 km) Tsumeb–Ondangwa and Phase II (60 km) Ondangwa–Oshikango of the new rail are completed. Phase III (28 km) between Ondangwa and Oshakati is currently under construction. It will consist of 48 kg/m rails on concrete sleepers.
This programme includes the construction of feeder and access roads, upgrading of gravel roads to bitumen standard, rehabilitation of roads and the construction and maintenance of state-owned aerodromes.
The ministry has further requested an amount of N$45 million to be allocated to the formulation of transportation policy, transport law enforcement, regulation oversight and subventions for the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat (TKCS) and Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG).
The total transport budget amounts to N$2.7 billion. When she presented the budget for the 2025/2026 financial year, Minister of Finance, Ericah Shafudar, said the money in the transport budget will be used for fast-tracking the upgrading of the railway network and also caters for the completion of ongoing road construction projects, including rural feeder roads to schools and clinics.
Over the next three years, the transport budget will receive N$6.9 billion. Shafudar said the transport sector will also benefit from dedicated external loans for upgrading the Kranzberg–Otjiwarongo railway section, as well as various roads.