BY ESTHER MSETEKA
THE modernisation of Mwami/ Mchinji One Stop Border Post (OSBP) has helped Government make significant progress in dismantling barriers to trade.
The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry is implementing the Zambia Border Post Upgrading Project (ZBPUP) supported by the 11th EDF funded Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Trade facilitation programme.
Speaking during a Monitoring and Evaluation visit to understand the impact of the upgrade on Mwami Border Post since its elevation to an OSBP in December last year, Project Coordinator Simon Ng’ona urged border stakeholders to bring forth any issues hindering the effective operations of the OSBP.
Dr Ng’ona also called on stakeholders to identify areas that require support which falls within the scope of the Project and any other trade facilitation issues that need urgent attention at the border.
“Over a Million Euros is still available for use under Mwami/ Mchinji OSBP. Currently, the Project is conducting and supporting various activities such as the Change Management trainings, especially for Mwami OSBP.
“ZBPUP has also procured various equipment such as Smart Gates and Baggage Scanners which are expected to be installed between August and September this year while the Rapid Testing Kits will be handed over to Mwami OSBP during the course of July, 2023,” he said in Chipata recently,
Dr Ng’ona is confident that the implementation of ZBPUP will drastically help bring down barriers to trade by streamlining procedures, opening new markets and allowing goods and services to move efficiently across borders.
He added that the mission was also aimed at finding out how the respective border agencies were coordinating in dealing with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures / Technical Barriers to Trade and other key trade-related issues.
Giving an update on the operation of the border, Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) noted that the upgrading of Mwami/Mchinji Border Post into an OSBP has helped reduce congestion, improved the monitoring of trucks passing through the border post while the length of time spent by trucks at the border has extremely reduced.
ZRA informed the Project team that the upgrading of infrastructure at Mwami OSBP has helped curb malpractices, ease the way of doing business for traders and enhanced revenue collection for the Treasury by the Authority.
“It is easy now to generate statistics of trucks and small-scale border traders importing and exporting goods. Currently, ZRA and other agencies have a better perspective of what is coming in and going out of the country.,” ZRA notes.
The border agencies, however, cited duplication of duties, cumbersome procedures and lack of rapid testing equipment as among the challenges negatively impacting on effective trade facilitation.
Currently, Government through a policy pronouncement intend to reduce the number of border agencies from over 15 to six.
