There are nine Trans-African Highways, all under development and enhancements, and the fourth one – Cairo-Gaborone-Cape Town, pass through Botswana and Zambia. At present, the Cape to Cairo trail passes through Botswana, into the Western territory of Zimbabwe, into Southern Zambia, cutting across Zambia into Tanzania.
The Kazungula Bridge, between Botswana and Zambia could in the near future, strategically shift as decades of economic instability in Zimbabwe will create a market demand for the trial to bend its course, away from Zimbabwe.
It will make economic sense, for trucks coming from Cape Town, and even Durban, to enter Zambia through Kazungula.
Just the thought of delays and challenges of trucks and passenger vehicles within Zimbabwean territory will redirect traffic toward the Kazungula Bridge.
Due to much publicised bad socioeconomic conditions in Zimbabwe, and its government not paying attention to regional trade, consumers opt to use the current roads within Botswana to move from Gaborone to the Kazungula Bridge, and also from Kazungula to Lusaka through Choma in Southern Zambia.
The roads within Botswana are developed enough to move international cargo traffic, and can easily be upgraded to suit international highway standards as the other roads in country.
There are increased interests of Zambia from an international perspective, and as visitors to Africa come inland via South Africa, many shall choose the desert trial into Botswana into Zambia.
Cross border Trade
The relations between Botswana and Zambia have never been better, and that will also spark interests of trade at a Micro to Small to Medium scale business level, as the tens of thousands small businesses in Botswana will go into Zambia as an export destination of the small-scale goods.
The economic activity between Zambia and Botswana will increase, and will even shift the movement of imported goods that move through Zimbabwe enroute to central Africa, such as Cars and electrical goods from South Africa.
Botswana has been encouraging its small businesses to export products into its neighbouring countries, and South Africa and Zimbabwe have not been that interesting in that South Africa has cheaper products, and Zimbabwe is not easy to get a return on the investment.
That leaves Zambia as a favourable route for consumer goods for the local small tswana business to export into Zambia.
Belabela Farm in Mochudi, Botswana, for example, will easily find it easier to supply Zambia with its horticultural produce and pork products; as the Botswana Local Enterprise Authority supported business, they have export as an agenda.
There are over 4,000 companies in Botswana that have needed an export alternative route other than the current ones, and Zambia’s opening up its borders and economy is a welcome initiative.
Zambia has road development projects underway will billions invested in the upgrading and construction of roads within its borders to make it for international traffic cross in and out of its eight neighbours.
Regional Consumer Travel
Zambia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and its capital, Lusaka is the fastest growing city in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
As it stands people travelling coming from Zambia, DRC, Tanzania, and Malawi to South Africa by road travel through Zimbabwe, and the same way back again.
Redirecting traffic from the Zimbabwean borders will have an impact on Zambia shoppers going into Botswana and South Africa, as it will be faster and easier to travel through the new border posts at Kazungula Bridge.
