Botswana's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Keagile Atamelang, on Wednesday highlighted the potential of Mozambique's ports of Maputo, Beira and Nacala as alternatives to diversify his country's export routes, calling for deeper integration of southern Africa's logistics corridors and the harmonisation of border procedures to facilitate the movement of goods across the region.

Atamelang made the remarks during the inaugural edition of the Mozambique Transport and Logistics Investment Forum and Exhibition (TRANS-LOG MOZ 2026) in Maputo, where he described Mozambique's geographic position as a strategic opportunity for Botswana to broaden its access to international markets.

In his address, Atamelang explained that Botswana already has transport corridors linking it to Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia, but aims to strengthen connections between those networks and Mozambique's corridors to create new freight outflow options. "And there is also the possibility of going to the port of Beira," he said, also pointing to Nacala as a viable maritime access route.

According to the minister, diversifying routes is essential to ensure greater flexibility in freight transport and to reduce the risks associated with dependence on a single corridor, including logistical bottlenecks and commercial delays. "Every corridor deserves, or needs, to have an alternative as well," he said, adding that the choice of routes should not depend solely on distance but also on the availability of alternative links capable of ensuring transport continuity.

Atamelang argued that strengthening regional connectivity could contribute to the diversification of Botswana's economy by improving conditions for the outflow of natural resources and processed goods to international markets. "Our economy will also be diversified in that sense," he said, underscoring the opportunities arising from the development of interconnected logistics corridors.

Border Procedure Harmonisation a Priority

Despite the potential of existing infrastructure, the minister cautioned that corridor efficiency depends on the adoption of common management mechanisms and the harmonisation of the legal and regulatory frameworks of countries in the region.

He advocated for the creation of joint corridor management structures and the standardisation of border procedures to facilitate rail circulation and freight transport between countries, reducing administrative obstacles. "The starting point, I insist, is the standardisation of protocols," he declared.

The minister further stressed that regional integration requires concrete measures to ensure the compatibility of transport systems and to prevent differences in legislation and regulation between countries from impeding cross-border rail operations.

The remarks were delivered during a high-level ministerial panel on the theme "Southern and Central Region Corridors: Limpopo and Beira", moderated by Ambrósio Adolfo Sitoe of Mozambique's Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

The panel also featured Mozambique's transport minister João Jorge Matlombe, Zimbabwe's transport minister Felix Mhona, Eswatini's transport minister Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe, and Namibia's deputy transport minister Hans Haikali. The session focused on measures to reduce transit and border crossing times, as well as the identification of joint infrastructure projects to be presented to potential financiers by 2027.

About the Event

The inaugural TRANS-LOG MOZ 2026 forum is being held on 4 and 5 November at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre in Maputo, bringing together government officials from southern African countries, domestic and international investors, financial institutions, business leaders and sector operators.

The event promotes debate on investment opportunities, the modernisation of ports, roads and railways, infrastructure financing, the reduction of logistics costs and the elimination of trade barriers, with the aim of strengthening Mozambique's competitiveness and advancing regional economic integration.