Namibia seeks Walvis Bay Industrial Development Initiative partner

WINDHOEK, Oct. 5 — Namibian government seeks to develop a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in near proximity to the port of Walvis Bay, in order to further increase the container throughput at the facility, an executive said Monday.
As part of Namibia’s initiatives to enhance its competitiveness and ambition to develop into a regional logistics hub, the implementation of a national single window has also become a priority project and is being considered alongside the development of an SEZ, said Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board executive Margareth Gustavo.
“To effectively implement the above initiatives, the government has consolidated them into a project called the Walvis Bay Industrial Development Initiative (WIDI),” she said.
Gustavo said WIDI aims to improve Namibia’s efficiency and competitiveness as a regional logistics hub, with the main objective being to positively contribute to the country’s economic development, including the creation of quality jobs and the transfer of key skills for and to Namibians.
According to Gustavo, the government invited leading global developers and operators with significant capability and well-proven experience in port and container terminal management, shipping and logistics sector operations, developers and operators of special economic zones and business development experts, through an Expression of Interest (EOI) to partner with the government in the WIDI.
Built by the China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) and inaugurated in 2019, the new container terminal in Walvis Bay is a significant asset to Namport’s balance sheet, and the government strongly believes that it can provide greater opportunities to promote the country’s economic development agenda.  – Xinhua