Johny Smith to head TransNamib
The Chief Executive Officer of Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Mr Johny Smith, has been appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia’s national rail carrier TransNamib. Smith confirmed his appointment yesterday.
The position of CEO at TransNamib is vacant since the suspensions and subsequent dismissal of Saara Naanda-Katiti in 2016. Smith’s appointment was approved at a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday.
The Ministry of Works and Transport received recommendations for three candidates from the TransNamib Board of Directors. The candidates that were nominated for the position were Johny Smith, Dede Bukasa (South African-based engineer) and Jaco Kruger (Namibian businessman).
TransNamib’s Board recommended Dede Bukasa to be the new boss at TransNamib. The Ministry rejected this recommendation and preferred the appointment of Mr Johny Smith.
Smith in the nineties lead the Namibia Ports Authority’s marketing unit in Walvis Bay and was instrumental in the promotion of the port of Walvis Bay as the preferred port on Southern Africa’s west coast for trade movements into and from Namibia’s neighbouring countries. He was also involved in the development of the trade corridor concept and ultimately became the Chief Executive Officer of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group.
Smith’s appointment as the CFEO of TransNamib was widely hailed this week as a big step forward into getting the troubled national rail carrier into becoming a fully functional element of Namibia’s logistics infrastructure. Railroad transport is crucial for Namibia.
Note: Smith in earlier years also worked in the marketing department of TransNamib and also Telecom Namibia and his appointment as CEO.
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