Zambezi River Basin

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The SADC region plans to develop transport

networks and corridors to allow easy

movement of goods and services across

borders. Some of the major projects proposed

for countries in the Basin include the

construction of roads, railways and airports.

The biggest and most comprehensive

development is the North-South Corridor

between the ports of Dar es Salaam in

Tanzania and Durban in South Africa, which

runs through the Zambezi Basin in Tanzania,

Zambia and Zimbabwe.

North South Development Corridor

This is the busiest and most extensive regional

transit link in eastern and southern Africa,

linking the largest number of countries. It

connects eight countries and interlinks to

other corridors including the Trans-Kalahari,

Beira, Lobito, Dar es Salaam and Nacala

corridors. This corridor is critical because South

Africa is the largest African trading partner for

most of the countries in the region and the

port of Durban handles a significant portion of

transit traffic for the landlocked states, as does

the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam in the

north. Key infrastructure involves the ports, the

roads and the railway lines.

Tazara Development Corridor

The Tazara Corridor (also called the Dar es

Salaam Corridor) is part of the North South

Corridor, a strategic artery linking southern

Africa with east and central Africa. There is

increasing traffic on this route from South Africa,

Zimbabwe and Zambia in the south, and from

the Nacala Corridor in Malawi and Mozambique.

The traffic is largely sugar, cement, fuel and

machinery. The Tazara Corridor provides

the shortest distance by rail from Zambia’s

Copperbelt mines to a port, and is owned by the

United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. The

corridor traverses some of the most fertile land

in southern Tanzania and northern Zambia, and

has potential for agriculture, tourism, mining,

forestry and fishing.

Mtwara Development Corridor

The Mtwara Development Corridor falls within

the territories of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania

and Zambia, and runs between the Indian

Ocean port of Mtwara in the east and Mbamba

Bay Lake Malawi. Transport projects include

expansion and upgrading of Mtwara port, and

the ports of Mbamba Bay and Manda on the

lake. Other projects include upgrading Mtwara

Airport, and the road and rail infrastructure.

Other important projects are the Mchuchuma

Thermal Power Station, the Mtwara-Mbamba

Bay petroleum pipeline and Songo Songo gas.

Walvis Bay Corridor

The Walvis Bay Corridor serves the central and

southern parts of SADC, via the Trans-Kalahari

Corridor linking Botswana, Namibia and South

Africa, and via the Trans-Caprivi Corridor

connecting Namibia and Zambia to Zimbabwe

and the DRC. It also links Angola and Namibia

via the Trans-Cunene Corridor. The northeastern

arm, the Trans-Caprivi Corridor through the

Zambezi River Basin was completed in 2004

with the opening of a new bridge at Katima

Mulilo and provides an alternative import-

export route for Zambia’s Coppperbelt and for

agricultural and agro-processing industries.

Okavango Upper Zambezi

International Tourism (Ouzit) SDI

The Ouzit was initially conceived and presented

as a wildlife sanctuary to be located within

the context of the Okavango and Zambezi

wetland systems. The project centred on a core

development area comprising 260 000 sq km

incorporating game parks in Angola, Botswana,

Namibia andZimbabwe. Infrastructuredevelopment

projects within the SDI comprise of the networking

of the inland park regions, the fast-tracking of

improvements to the air traffic and transport

infrastructure in participating countries, and

establishment and management of a logistics

platform linked to the improved regional air

transport system. The Ouzit SDI connects to the

Namib Development Corridor in southern Angola.

Transport Routes