Nakonde-Tunduma one-stop border in pilot phase • 2017-08-17

Nakonde-Tunduma one-stop border in pilot phase
MWAPE MWENYA, Lusaka
MINISTER of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe says Zambia and Tanzania have started the pilot phase of the operationalisation of the one-stop border post (OSBP) at Nakonde-Tunduma border post in Muchinga Province.
Ms Mwanakatwe said in Lusaka on Wednesday during a media briefing that the main project would be launched by end of this month.
She said seven technical and steering committees composed of permanent secretaries from nine ministries and the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) had been set up to actualise the concept.
“Zambia took the lead in constructing infrastructure at the border and handed over the building to Zambia Revenue Authority last year. Tanzania has started the construction works and all the constructions are expected to be completed by 2018,” Ms Mwanakatwe said.
She said the operationalisation of the border post was a result of challenges being faced at the border post in clearing goods including cumbersome procedures, inadequate infrastructure and poor access roads.
Ms Mwanakatwe said the OSBP concept was in line with the aspirations of the African Union (AU), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) of promoting regional trade and integration.
She said the steering committee also approved the simplified trade regime agreement that would streamline trade for small-scale cross-border traders by the use of a simplified threshold of US$2,000.
She said the OSBP at Nakonde-Tunduma would be the second after the OSBP at Chirundu border in Lusaka Province.

Source: Zambia Daily Mail Limited