Namibia Awards Local Firm N$64.9 Million Contract for Sandverhaar–Buchholzbrunn Railway Line Upgrade
Namibian firm, West Trading JV Unik Construction Engineering Namibia has been awarded a N$64.89 million contract to construct and rehabilitate bridges as part of the second phase of the Sandverhaar–Buchholzbrunn railway line upgrade in the ||Kharas Region.
The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) said the contract was awarded on behalf of the Ministry of Works and Transport and forms part of the government's efforts to rehabilitate and upgrade the country's railway infrastructure.
The second phase of the project focuses specifically on the construction of new bridges and the rehabilitation of existing bridges along the railway line, which connects towards the port of Lüderitz in southern Namibia. The project is expected to be completed during the 2027/28 financial year.
The contract has a minimum Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment of N$64,886.51, equivalent to 0.1% of the contract value, according to the CPBN.
CPBN said the CSR requirement forms part of its efforts to use public procurement to generate broader socio-economic and sustainable development benefits in communities where government projects are implemented.
The procurement board said the project had already generated direct economic benefits for the local community, with 20 people from the village of Bethanie employed on the project.
It added that public procurement could serve as an instrument for sustainable development by enabling public entities and suppliers to contribute to the wellbeing of communities while fulfilling their contractual obligations.
The bridge works form part of the broader upgrading of the Sandverhaar–Buchholzbrunn railway line, which government regards as an important link for strengthening freight movement in southern Namibia.
The Ministry of Works and Transport previously awarded TransNamib a contract, with the Roads Contractor Company as subcontractor, for the construction of the 40-kilometre railway stretch between Sandverhaar and Buchholzbrunn. The first phase of the project cost about N$110 million.
The railway line is expected to support the movement of goods to and from South Africa through southern Namibia and facilitate exports from South Africa's Northern Cape region through the port of Lüderitz.
According to the Namibian Ports Authority 2025 annual report, exports through the Port of Lüderitz predominantly comprised manganese ore from South Africa and zinc that year.
In terms of imports, empty containers became the largest import category in 2025, accounting for 60% of total imports. Petroleum imports grew by 19% while wet fish imports increased by 2% in 2025.
