Namibia’s Minister of Works and Transport Veikko Nekundi has decried the delays in the construction of the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) line – a proposed project that aims to connect the coalfields of Botswana to a port in Walvis Bay, Namibia, spanning approximately 1500km.
Nekundi raised the concern during the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) meeting of the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) project that was held in Kasane recently.
Botswana and Namibia entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this ambitious project back in 2010 to pave the way for the development of the Trans-Kalahari Railway Line (TKR) link.
In 2014, the two countries solidified their commitment by signing a Bilateral Agreement, specifically addressing the trans-boundary line’s development, including coal storage, conveying, loading, and additional ancillary facilities near or at the port of Walvis Bay.
Nekundi lamented that 15 years since then little to nothing has happened, saying that they still do not have a single kilometre of the railway line constructed.
“It is extremely worrisome that today, we are still at a planning stage. Whatever went wrong in the past 15 years must be avoided if we are planning for success. I have no commitment to fail, neither do I have any appointment to meet fail,” he said.
Nekundi said he was cognisant of the processes that are initiated and are being implemented, that would lead to the actual development of the infrastructure. He urged the technical team of implementers and those charged with the oversight responsibility to do their duties without fail.
For his part, Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Noah Salakae has acknowledged that the Trans-Kalahari Railway, as historically conceived, has not moved beyond concept to construction for over three decades.
He stated that this is not due to a lack of political will or technical knowledge, but because the project as a standalone railway simply cannot generate enough revenue from transport economics alone to justify its staggering US$16 billion cost. Salakae emphasised that this is a reality which must be faced with courage and creativity.
Salakae has however noted that there is a way forward, one that breathes new life into this vision, stressing the importance of reimagining the project not just as a railway, but as a development corridor.
“I therefore respectfully propose to our two governments to start discussions around a new and broader framing, the Trans-Kalahari Development Corridor, or TKDC,” he said.
He noted that the Trans-Kalahari Development Corridor envisions much more than rails, therefore is a need to think in terms of catalytic value of jobs created not just in construction, but in agribusiness, mining services, clean energy generation, and digital logistics platforms that can thrive in a smartly planned corridor economy.
“A project of this scale and importance must go beyond rail, it must stimulate regional integration, urbanisation, and sustainable growth from coast to coast,” said Salakae.
Salakae has revealed that following the deliberations at Swakopmund in February 2025, their technical teams have worked diligently, culminating in the appointment of the Consultant, CPCS Transcom UK Limited, in March 2025.
According to him, the consultant is working in partnership with Zutari (which is based in both Botswana and Namibia), Bowman (a Namibian company), and other key independent experts.
Salakae said that the consultant commenced work on the contracted Feasibility Study in April 2025, which is scheduled to span a period of 12 months. He further indicated that CPCS Transcom UK Limited has submitted the Inception Report of the Feasibility Study for review at their August 2025 meeting.
