Boko demands end to Trans-Kalahari rail delays
Botswana’s President Duma Boko has renewed pressure on Namibia and Botswana to push ahead with construction of the Trans-Kalahari Railway, insisting the project can no longer remain a matter of discussion.
Boko said he had engaged Namibia directly on the matter, dispatching a delegation to Windhoek to press for movement on the long-delayed line.
"I don't want to talk about talking and so I have had a conversation with Namibia. I sent a deputation," Boko said.
Boko said the project received similar backing from President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
"They came back and said the President of Namibia says this project must be delivered and I said the same thing," he said.
Boko said both countries were now committed to a firm timeline.
"We are going to deliver it and we're going to have it delivered. We want it delivered this year, so we have now these corridors taking shape that have been at conception stage for too long," he said.
He said the gap between commitment and implementation had to close entirely.
"The chasm between talk and action must now not be narrowed, must be closed all together. So we have Mmamabula - Lephalale rail link on the cards, Trans Kalahari. We also with Zambia have discussed Mosetse - Kazungula Livingston rail… now is the time for action," Boko said.
Decades in the making
The Trans-Kalahari Railway would run roughly 1 500 kilometres from the Port of Walvis Bay through central Namibia into Botswana, linking into Botswana's existing rail network and giving the landlocked country direct access to the Atlantic. The project is estimated to cost more than US$16 billion, or about N$290 billion at current exchange rates.
Its primary purpose is to move bulk minerals, including coal, copper, soda ash, uranium and manganese, to Walvis Bay for export, while easing pressure on the Trans-Kalahari Highway and cutting transport costs for landlocked Botswana.
A 12-month feasibility study began in April 2025, with consultants submitting an inception report later that year. Namibia and Botswana have since agreed on a preferred route alignment and both governments have completed legal due diligence. The feasibility study is expected to feed into an implementation phase, after which investors will be approached. If timelines hold, construction could start around 2027, though financing remains the project's biggest obstacle.
Funding the corridor
Botswana's Transport Minister Noah Salakae has said the railway will likely require a public-private partnership, as freight revenue alone may not justify the investment without broader development along the route. The two countries are considering a wider Trans-Kalahari Development Corridor that would combine rail, logistics hubs and industrial development rather than rail infrastructure alone.
Supporters of the project say it would strengthen Walvis Bay's position as a regional port, unlock Botswana's coal reserves, reduce heavy-vehicle traffic on regional roads, and support mining, agriculture and manufacturing across both countries, while deepening integration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
