Kazungula Bridge Valuable Asset For Africa

The Kazungula Bridge masterpiece towers majestically over the waters at a point where the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers meet. Strategically located, the bridge sits at a quadripoint where Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe converge on the Zambezi River. At the launch of the Kazungula Bridge Authority (KBA) on Tuesday, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Noah Salakae described the bridge as a valuable asset, not only to our Botswana and Zambia, but to Africa as a whole.

Mr Salakae said after nearly five years waiting for the commissioning and operationalisation of the KBA, ultimately launching it, marked an enduring inclination that would see the Authority transform into a globally-renowned institution and become the groundwork for the long-term prosperity of the economies of the two nations. He said the uniquely designed 923-metre-long road and rail bridge replaced the ferry pontoon system, which had proven not only inefficient but very slow and highly unreliable. Minister Salakae appreciated that the bridge stood not only as a physical link between the two countries, but also as a key component of the North-South Corridor (NSC), a vital trade route within the SADC region and an important conduit for regional integration and economic development, benefiting countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania as well as Zimbabwe.

The NSC accounts for approximately 84 per cent of regional freight traffic, primarily driven by trade activities in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. Mr Salakae highlighted that a significant portion of the traffic originated from the Port of Durban, which handled nearly 64 per cent of all container movements within the region, and from the Gauteng Province of South Africa, encompassing Johannesburg and Pretoria, which served as the region’s principal centre for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. “The NSC therefore remains the corridor of choice for the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors in the region owing to its balanced import-export flow, competitive costs, and overall efficiency,” he said.

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In addition, he pointed out that bridge served as a catalyst for economic transformation, unlocking new investment opportunities and reinforcing the Kazungula One Stop Border’s position as a key gateway for regional trade and connectivity. The latter, Mr Salakae said had helped streamline cross-border procedures, resulting in reduced clearance times and lower trade costs and enhanced competitiveness of Botswana’s exports and imports. He also announced that the KBA Board of Directors was inaugurated during the last session of the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting held in Kasane on September 18 last year as a key milestone towards the operationalisation of the KBA.

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