The African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing $196 million towards the Transport Infrastructure Improvement Project in Namibia, an initiative aimed at modernizing the country’s logistics value chain through the revitalization of rail infrastructure.
Having received approval from the Bank’s Board of Directors, the loan will enable the implementation of the second phase of the project and represents just short of 52% of the total project cost.
In line with Namibia’s Vision 2030 – a long-term development framework to transform the country into a prosperous and industrialized nation – the rail project involves the construction of 207 km of new rail track, to be constructed close to the existing Kranzberg-Otjiwarongo line.
The addition comprises 16 bridges, the renovation of two stations, the procurement of 55,000 tons of rail and the modernization of the railway signaling system along the Walvis Bay-Tsumeb line.
The AfDB’s Director General for Southern Africa, Leila Mokaddem, states that the rail project will be integral to positioning Namibia as a “regional logistics hub by 2030 while catalyzing development change in neighboring countries…”, adding that the project “will also connect Namibia to Africa’s copper belt and achieve regional railway connectivity.”