Customs clearing agents are among those lauding the one-stop border post (OSBP) concept as a key enabler of efficient trade facilitation in the country. Malawi currently has one fully operational OSBP at the Mchinji– Mwami Border, with the post at Dedza awaiting the completion of a similar facility on the Mozambican side to become fully functional. The construction of the new post at Dedza is reported to have reduced the time that travellers, traders, clearing agents, and other stakeholders spend visiting all the required offices. At Dedza, truck driver Fred Moziyane from South Africa noted that while Mozambican border officials have yet to relocate to the Malawian structure, processes on the Malawian side are faster. “Due to the modern design of the facility, which houses all border officials under one roof, we can complete all our tasks in one place. “In the past, we had to move from one building to another to have our documents checked and stamped,” Moziyane said. Prince Kaiwawile, a clearing agent at Mchinji OSBP, explained that the streamlining of services has enabled them to clear more cargo efficiently.

“Consignments are processed more quickly because import and export formalities are handled in a single building,” Kaiwawile said. He added that previously, when Malawi and Zambia operated from separate buildings, clearing goods would take days, whereas now it is done in a matter of hours. MRA Marketing Communications Manager Wilma Chalulu said that, according to station managers at Dedza and Mchinji OSBPs, the concept has led to increased revenue for the tax authority. Recently, MRA organised a tour for editors from various media houses to familiarise them with the operations of its tax collection points across the country, including those linked to rail systems.

Chalulu said MRA hoped the editors had gained a better understanding of its operations and how to reflect this in the stories they handle. In the OSBP concept— where operations are complete— border officials from two countries, including those from MRA, Immigration, the Malawi Bureau of Standards and agriculture, work together under one roof on each side. In addition to the two border posts, the editors were also taken to MRA posts in Mark Nyathando, Nsanje, Zomba, and Liwonde.

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