Zimbabwe to Join Trans Kalahari Corridor in Bid to...

Zimbabwe to Join Trans Kalahari Corridor in Bid to Boost Regional Trade

President Nandi-Ndaitwah was received at State House in Harare by President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Oscar J Jeke - ZimNow Reporter

Zimbabwe is set to join the Trans Kalahari Corridor, a strategic regional transport and trade route linking Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, as part of efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation and enhance regional economic integration.

The development was confirmed following the state visit of Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to Zimbabwe on May 20, 2025. President Nandi-Ndaitwah was received at State House in Harare by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, where the two leaders held high-level talks focused on strengthening economic ties between the two nations.

According to a Tuesday’s Cabinet report , the two countries agreed to upgrade their diplomatic engagement by elevating the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation to a Bi-National Commission a move signalling a new phase in Zimbabwe-Namibia relations.

As part of this cooperation, Zimbabwe has committed to joining the Trans Kalahari Corridor, a major logistics network designed to facilitate trade and transport across Southern Africa. The corridor stretches from Walvis Bay Port in Namibia, through Botswana, to Gauteng in South Africa, and is already a key artery for regional commerce.

The Zimbabwean government also pledged support to fully operationalise the Walvis Bay Dry Port, which it operates within Namibia, and confirmed plans to link into the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor, connecting Namibia, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“The two nations committed to ensuring acceleration of implementation of the instruments of cooperation ,” the Cabinet noted.

The integration into regional corridors comes at a time when Zimbabwe is pushing to position itself as a central hub in Southern Africa’s transport and trade networks.