The South African transport minister has scheduled to be in the Netherlands in order to present major South African rail investment plans.
The master plan that will be presented is entitled NATMAP 2050. Mr. Lanfranc Situma, Deputy Director General of Transport and project manager of NATMAP 2050 is also part of the South African delegation.
The delegation will visit Amersfoort, where the international event Rail-Tech Europe is being held. Rail-Tech Europe is the international exhibition and conference on rail infrastructure and rolling stock. It will be held on 29, 30 and 31 March in the Rail Maintenance Hangar in Amersfoort. The third and final Rail-Tech Europe day, 31 March, will be completely dedicated to rail investments plans and business opportunities in South Africa.
South Africa is facing a number of challenges in the infrastructural field. Increasing transport volume outpaces the capacity of paved ways and air freight. On the other hand the railway network is not being utilised.
The announcement stated that the railway network is in poor condition and the management system is inefficient. Africa is one of the continents where great improvements in rail infrastructure need to be made. The master plan NATMAP 2050 includes ambitious plans for improving and expanding the railway network in South Africa.
It is thought that over the coming years, public transport systems will be developed at a quick pace including significant investments in rail. South Africa is currently developing plans to renew the public transport system and the government has the ambition to become the (rail) hub for the African continent.
The presentation on the Rail Investment Plans will be held on 31 March as part of the Rail-Tech Europe conference programme. A representative of the South African Embassy will follow by discussing doing business in South-Africa.
Companies with experience in infrastructure and logistical projects in South Africa will give a short presentation and discuss cases, among which Mr. Naren Bhojaram, CEO of SSI. This will be followed by a discussion with the audience. The moderator of this conference day is Mr. Mark Agterdenbosch, general manager of SANEC, a bilateral trade promotion agency between Holland and South Africa.
