Steward of the anchor

Michelline Nawatises
Smith’s passion for trade and transport

Clive Smith is ready to head Africa Union Cargo with the dedication that drives growth.

Recently appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Africa Union Cargo, Clive Smith has 20 years of commercial and senior management roles in the banking, fishing and transport and logistics sectors.

He will head operations in Namibia and the region.

His duties entail focusing on developing synergies across the Africa Union Holdings global portfolio in the fields of agriculture, mining, commodity trading, financial services, ICT, health and logistics.

Formerly, he was employed as the acting CEO of Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) for a year and eight months while fulfilling his role as a project manager for Namibia Logistics Hub, a position he held since 2013.

During his stay at WBCG, Smith was responsible for leading the establishment and the implementation of the Namibia Logistics Hub Project, which is a national programme to position Namibia as an efficient and effective trade route for SADC through the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.

“Under this programme, Namibia developed its National Logistics Master Plan, completed in 2015.”

Throughout his tenure at WBCG, Smith also directed and coordinated the development of Namibia's very first State of Logistics Report, which was launched last year.

Since 2017, Smith has also served as a board member of the Roads Authority of Namibia as well as a director at Namibia Trade Forum, in addition to holding various roles in a number of national committees in the areas of transport and trade.

He also served on the technical committee for the Namibia National Single Window Project.

Moreover, Smith has played an integral regional and continental role by contributing towards the dialogue and implementation of integration programmes, and also held the position of temporary chairperson of the board of the Africa Corridor Management Alliance (ACMA) as well as its acting CEO.

He also served as temporary secretary general for the Walvis Bay Ndola Lubumbashi Development Corridor Secretariat.

Smith said he is excited to contribute towards the developing Namibia logistics sector while leveraging the activities of the group's various business units to identify opportunities for investment and job creation in the country.

He added that Namibia has over the past decade made immense strides to develop a robust transport and logistics sector that not only has the potential to greatly contribute to its own economic development agendas, but also support the SADC communities by providing alternative trade routes, which would ultimately lead to reduced business costs in the region.

“I am proud to have been part of the journey thus far and look forward to continue exploring opportunities to support our government's initiatives, through offering a host of services and solutions in different sectors under the Africa Union Holdings portfolio," he said.