14 Sep 2026

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Keoagile Atamelang, has called for promotion of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor as a premier regional trade, logistics and investment gateway by strengthening partnerships, mobilising investment and enhancing cross border economic cooperation.

Mr Atamelang said this during Trans-Kalahari Corridor Investment and Connectivity Golf day dinner held in Jwaneng on September 12.

He said promoting the Trans-Kalahari Corridor as a regional trade could be attained by positioning it as a competitive, reliable, predictable, efficient, safe and secure trade route for regional and international markets.

The minister stated that it was important to promote Botswana’s role as a logistics, investment and industrial hub within the corridor ecosystem, noting that facilitation of high level engagement between government, private sector, financiers and corridor institutions was key.

Mr Atamelang added that it was also critical to provide a networking platform that blended diplomacy, business development and relationship building since Botswana continued to position itself as a stable, competitive and strategic hub for regional and international trade.

Central to the ambition is the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which is a critical east-west trade and logistics route connecting the Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia, South Africa and the wider SADC region.

Jwaneng’s proximity to key mining, industrial and infrastructure assets, provides a compelling backdrop to promote Botswana as a trusted corridor partner and destination for economic sectors such as those related to logistics, manufacturing, mining supply chains and trade facilitation.

“To unlock this, we need to address how efficient we can unlock regional integration among SADC member states and beyond, we must consider climate resilient infrastructure, seamless transit along the corridor, improved communication systems on the corridor and standardised protocol among TKCS achievements,” said Mr Atamelang.

TKCS achievements included a substantial increase in passenger and commercial traffic, with about 8 000 trucks cleared at Pioneer Gate every month.

The achievements, Mr Atamelang  said included harmonised weigh bridges, alignment of closing times of weighbridges with border closing times.

Harmonisation of border operating hours from 10pm 12am in Lobatse and Tlokweng, and recently the opening of 24 hour operation at Mamuno, adding Tlokweng border would operate 24 hours by December 2026.

The minister indicated that one stop border post had been established in Mamuno.

Namibia high commissioner to Botswana, Ms Elizabeth Kakuru, said TKCS was not simply a road connecting countries, but a strategic trade and development corridor linking the port of Walvis Bay on the Atlantic Coast through Botswana to South Africa and ultimately to the wider Southern African market.

Ms Kakuru stated that the success of regional integration was ultimately measured not only by agreements signed, but by whether a producer in Namibia could efficiently reach a market in Botswana, or by whether a Botswana business could competitively move its goods through Walvis Bay and whether the region could access global markets and predictable costs within predictable time frame.

A major opportunity she said was in transforming the corridor into an increasing integrated economic corridor. “We have Botswana dry port, Walvis Bay port, Mamuno 24-hour one stop border post along Trans-Kalahari Corridor,” she said.

For her part, South Africa acting high commissioner to Botswana, Ms Feziwe Madikizela, said success to regional trade integration relied on partnerships, noting that Public Private Partnerships were key to unlocking potential in driving regional trade. ENDS