By:Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus
Putting Namibia’s diamond export to Botswana and the country’s trade partnership with South Africa aside, the Wenela Border Post has been channelling more Namibian products into Africa.
In the lens of promoting intra-Africa trade, statistics from the Namibia Statistic Agency show that between February and May 2023, Namibia exported N$3,2 billion worth of goods through Wenela Border Post.
Some of the countries that have been noted using the Wenela Border Post are mostly Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while Malawi, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Tanzania have also utilised the border posts according to trade statistics.
Exporting via road is the third most used mode of transport used by Namibian exporters, especially those exporting inside Africa (southern Africa)- utilising various border posts.
However, for May 2023 the road was the second most used for the country’s export, with 181,174 tonnes of goods entered the country by road. This is an increase of 14.8% from the tonnes recorded the previous month.
The main border posts used for export via road for the highlighted months in 2023 were Wenela Border Post and Trans Kalahari Border Post.
The border posts that are gateway into Africa, the country has used for export, are Ariamsvlei and Noordoewer, mostly used for live animals and gold export to South Africa.
Another border post is Ngoma which connects Namibia with Botswana and Zambia. Namibia has also utilised it for export, facilitating around N$200 million worth of export.
Fish is the main product that is being exported via the Wenela Border Post, destined for Zambia and the DRC. For May 2023, Zambia bought N$225 million of Namibian fish.
The data also shows that Namibia sold N$725 million worth of goods through the Wenela Border Post in April 2023, accounting for 9.6% of the country’s export.
In May the country exported N$672 million worth of goods, which accounted for 7.2% of the country’s total export.
The Wenela Border Post is also part of the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor Development Initiative which connects Namibia, Zambia and the DRC.
Border posts’ efficiency and mobility connections are critical to the envisaged intra-Africa trade as promoted under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Namibia has rectified AfCFTA and together with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) have submitted their tariff offer in fulfilment of the continent “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want”.
The high-ambition trade agreement covers a comprehensive scope that includes critical areas of Africa’s economy, such as digital trade and investment protection, amongst other areas.
The specific objective of the AfCFTA is to progressively eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods and liberalise trade in services, cooperate on investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy. Email: erastus@thevillager.com.na