WBCG Engages International Transport Sector in Munich

In its mandate to increase awareness of the Walvis Bay Corridors and the port of Walvis Bay, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group and Namport recently exhibited at the recent Transport Logistic 2017, held in Munich, Germany. Transport Logistic is an International Exhibition for Logistics, Mobility, IT and Supply Chain Management and the world’s biggest trade fair for freight transport covering all modes and held every two years in Munich. The event this year attracted 2,162 exhibitors from 62 countries showcasing their products and services, with the total number of recorded visitors at 60,726 from 123 countries.

Some of the world’s leading service providers were represented at the event, which also offered a multitude of conferences covering a wide range of topics central to transport and logistics solutions. In pursuance of our ongoing efforts to position Namibia as a regional Logistics Hub, the WBCG and Namport used this opportunity to promote Namibia as Gateway to Southern Africa, with a distinct focus on the Namibia Logistics Hub Project and developments in our transport sector, most notably the new container terminal under construction.
With our Logistics Hub Project as the central theme, in-depth discussions were held with a number of Multinational Logistics and Transport companies as well as with a host of Freight and Business Associations. The team was fortunate to engage with the Logistics Alliance Germany at the event, which led to discussions to pursue further collaboration. Logistics Alliance Germany is a public-private partnership between the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the German Logistics industry, with the same objectives, mandates and responsibilities as the WBCG. These similarities between the two organizations allows the WBCG to tap into the network, experience and knowledge of Logistics Alliance Germany and its members, to the benefit of our members and the Namibian Transport sector. Germany’s reputation as a top logistics location, supported by excellent infrastructure and high-quality logistics service providers, could offer a wealth of possibilities for Namibia. Logistics as a catalyst for trade remains central to the WBCG and Namport’s mandates and as such the cooperation with Logistics Alliance Germany will not only focus on capacity programs but will also seek to foster direct linkages between the two organisations’ members. This initiative further supports our drive to attract global distribution companies to assist us in developing the distribution opportunities via Namibia for the SADC region.
Events of this nature allow the WBCG to fulfill its mandate to promote Namibia’s transport and logistics sector, specifically focusing on our transit Corridors. It further provides a platform to market the Namibia Logistics Hub Initiative and attract potential partners and investors to the benefit of our members and the Namibian economy at large. “Forming strategic alliances is a key focus area for WBCG. We are excited about the opportunities that the potential collaboration with Logistics Alliance Germany will bring to the Namibian logistics sector, though knowledge sharing and best practices to enhance service delivery”, explains Mr Clive Smith, WBCG’s Logistics Hub Manager.
The participation of the WBCG and Namport at this year’s Transport Logistic was greatly supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammen-arbeit (GIZ). GIZ and WBCG, through the Namibia-German Development Agreement, under the office of the National Planning Commission, entered into a co-operation agreement with GIZ providing support towards implementation of the Namibia Logistics Master Plan.