Africa’s people need infrastructure as much as they need oxygen. Even today, with our modern technology, many people are literally dying because food, medicine and essential lifesustaining products cannot reach them in time. The reason for this is that roads and railroad tracks are either not there yet, dilapidated or inadequate for what they need to do.   

Botswana and Zambia are blessed with a brand new, very strategical bridge between the two countries. The 923 m construction at Kazungula is almost completed and will cost a nifty  US$ 260 million. Besides the two-way road, the bridge also has a pedestrian walkway and a railroad track.   The project is a joint venture between the African Development Bank, Japan International Agency, governments, and co-funded with an EU-ITF grant. The bridge was scheduled to be completed in 2018, but work was delayed when the Zambian government was unable to make some payments.  

The bridge will now be opened to the public on 30 December 2020 an it will offer much relieve to commuters and transporters who currently have to rely on a ferry to move them across the river. Presently, it can take up to eight days to cross the spot where the Zambezi and Chobe rivers meet.   

The benefits of this bridge are huge. It will connect the port of Durban in South Africa with the copper mines in Zambia and the DRC with its huge wealth of resources like gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt, coltan, zinc, tin, tungsten, crude oil, wood products, and coffee. Botswana’s export and import farmers will also benefit from this bridge, since more, faster and more reliable transport options will become available.   

This month we look at Carl Hamm’s borehole technology and we also offer many articles of interest to of small, medium and large-scale farmers. 

Farm smartly!

Du Preez de Villiers – dupreez@proagri.co.za