Highlights;
✅Minister of Finance and National Planning Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane disclosed that the Government of Zambia and TradeMark Africa have initiated a ZMK 233 Million project to improve the flow of goods and the people along the Dar es Salaam Corridor.
✅Once all planned tasks and deliverables have been successfully accomplished at Nakonde Border Post, it is anticipated that it will streamline operations and reduce cargo clearance times by more than 100% on both sides of the border.
✅Currently, it takes more than two days to clear cargo trucks crossing the border, leading to significant delays and losses for businesses.
✅The Minister highlighted the project’s potential to upgrade infrastructure, decrease congestion, and improve trade flows across the region.
✅The Nakonde Border Post will see improvements, including upgrade of road infrastructure within the One-Stop-Border-Post and truck parking yard, construction of additional office buildings and warehouse, the installation of a modern cargo scanner.
✅The initiative also includes the digitisation of clearance processes, and installation of smart gates aimed at cutting dwelling times for cargo trucks from the current average 55 hours.
✅The design reviews for Nakonde One-Stop-Border-Post were finalised over the past one year, with the support from Trade Catalyst Africa and the Tony Blair Institute that has supported the process and Government, as well as proving technical support.
✅In his remarks, TradeMark Africa Chief Executive Officer David Beer underscored the impact of efficient Nakonde One-Stop-Border-Post (OSBP) on reducing trade times and costs, and enhancing region integration.
✅He further indicated that;
i. Nakonde One-Stop-Border-Post (OSBP) is a major transit port, with an average of 750 import, export and transit trucks using the route daily.
ii. The Border facilitates the export and import trade not just for Zambia and Tanzania, but also for the DRC and Zimbabwe. 65% of cargo transits through Zambia destined for other countries.
iii. TradeMark Africa’s mission regarding the Nakonde Border Post is to enhance operational efficiency through digitalisation, streamline the clearance process, and forge stronger trade links along the Dar – es- Salaam corridor.
iv. Under the agreement signed today, TradeMark Africa pledged the support for a range of trade facilitation initiatives, including trade policy reviews, capacity building, automation of trade processes, digitalisation of trade procedures, the provision of modern trade infrastructure, support to SMEs and women cross border traders.
v. The TRadeMark CEO however revealed that the UK government, a long-standing partner to both the Government of Zambia, and TradeMark Africa, extended its hand with a grant of ZMK 197 million, or [GBP X] million, to enable this work.
vi. It is important to note that this will be the first part of a two-part project, in collaboration with the World Bank and the UK will facilitate infrastructure upgrades like access roads, modern cargo scanning systems, digitisation of clearance processes, cross-border information exchange, and the implementation of smart digital solutions like Smart Gates.
vii. These upgrades will improve clearance efficiency and reduce cargo dwell time, by at least 30%.
viii. Today’s agreement, and the Nakonde OSBP project, is a testament to our ongoing commitment to Zambia, supporting its journey towards becoming a pivotal regional logistics hub and contribute to economic growth and job creation.
ix. TradeMark Africa CEO reaffirmed the company’s dedication to working alongside the Zambian Government to promote economic growth, job creation, and better livelihoods in Zambia.
✅And British High Commissioner to Zambia Nicholas Woolley expressed happiness that the UK Government had entered a new partnership with Zambia and TradeMark African to upgrade the strategic trade frontier between Zambia and Tanzania.
✅In 2021 the UK funded the upgrade of the Tunduma side of the border to a One-Stop Border post including a state-of the-art cargo scanner.
✅This initiative is part of the TradeMark Africa’s broader efforts to facilitate trade across the continent.
✅The Nakonde project is set to deepen trade ties between Zambia and its neighbours, leveraging Zambia’s strategic position as a land-linked country reliant on regional ports for its international trade.
✅Through this Partner Service Agreement, the UK will fund much needed improvements to the cargo scanning and associated road, technology and infrastructure on the Zambian side of the border post.
Credit MIM
