Dry port just what the doctor ordered

THE opening of the dry port facility at Walvis Bay in Namibia by President Mnangagwa on Friday last week is a sign of ingenuity and innovation that provides solutions to a landlocked country like Zimbabwe.

The move shows that President Mnangagwa’s administration is forward looking and does not feel satisfied with the status quo which inhibits trade and development.

With its vision fixed on achieving an upper middle income status by 2030, Government has been taking trade facilitation seriously, and this dry port signifies the intention.

We note that the dry port will ensure easy access for the country to the Atlantic Ocean, and is significant enough to put Zimbabwe at par with other regional countries in terms of trade and development.

Having a dry port is almost as good as accessing a seaport, since it provides a gateway to the sea, but using cheaper ways that benefit manufacturers and those in international business.

What is also important about this dry port is that it will not only serve Zimbabwe, but other landlocked countries in the SADC region and beyond.

The facility is in the true spirit of enhancing regional trade and facilitation of movement of goods across regional countries, as they are being exported or imported.

The other major benefit of this dry port is that it augurs well with the development trajectory being

pushed by President Mnangagwa’s administration under the “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” policy.

This policy is mainly anchored on encouraging foreign direct investment that is expected to revive industries and make Zimbabwe the exporting giant that it should be.

Soon, the country will be dealing with a huge number of exports as the investors employ their advanced technology to churn out various goods.

These investors will also need to import some of their raw materials and other necessities, making Zimbabwe a much sought after destination market for various international goods.

This is where we believe the dry port will become handy, as it will enhance the ease of doing business by cutting the time those bringing their goods in or taking them out have to wait at the congested seaports.

The dry port will encourage Zimbabwe to do business with all countries in the world that will find it convenient for their goods to either reach or leave the country.

We, therefore, expect business and trade opportunities to increase for Zimbabwe as a result of this dry port.

Now that the dry port has been officially opened, we expected the authorities to start grappling with how users can access it and make maximum use of the facility.

It is imperative that a railway line be constructed as a matter of urgency to provide easy access.

We propose that this railway line be linked to the already existing railway network which links Zimbabwe and Namibia to many other African countries in the SADC region and other parts.

Considering the importance of this facility, we do not expect it to become a white elephant, and this calls for a quick provision of all aspects that make its functionality perfect.

Without the potential users having access to the dry port, for example, it will become a good for nothing development that does not bring benefits to any country.

We note with satisfaction that President Mnangagwa has indicated that the priority is for Zimbabwe and Namibia to build a railway line that links the port with other countries in the region.

This railway line is important as it will enhance the speedy movement of cargo to and from the dry port to its destination, and from the seaport to the dry port.

There are numerous benefits that will accrue to Zimbabwe as a result of the dry port, apart from diverting traffic from distant seaports, thus saving on transportation costs.

The fact that the dry port offers services just like those found at a seaport like customs clearance, maintenance of containers, storage, warehousing and forwarding means that Zimbabwe will be easily linked to the sea.

The dry port is going to play an important role in attracting capital to the proposed Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that Government is setting up.

Investors in SEZs are usually inclined towards exporting, and this facility will ensure that they do not have difficulties in moving their goods to the sea.

We highly commend Government for taking this initiative which is in line with modern trends in aiding international trade through facilitating the easy movement of goods.