Table 1: Summary of Issues Discussed in the Panel Discussions and Presentations

Discussing Efficient Border Management in a Simplified Trade Regime

Focusing on interagency coordination, what are the requirements for efficient border management?

• Trade facilitation reforms should begin with the formulation of appropriate legal framework such as the Border Management and Trade Facilitation Act No.12 of 2018

• Lead agency in inter-agency collaboration and coordination should also be responsible for constituting Joint Border Committees (JBCs) for effective coordination

• Steering Committee (SC) of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) should be led by a senior Government official such as the Secretary to the Cabinet

• Technical Committee of the NTFC should be co-chaired by the Ministry responsible for trade matters and customs authorities

• Establishment of a permanent NTFC secretariat to manage and coordinate trade facilitation issues

• Need for supportive hard and soft border infrastructure:

 Hard: good road network and other physical border infrastructure such as OSBPs

 Soft: coordinated approach to border management and trade facilitation: customs, immigration, agriculture, health, standards, security etc

What are the requirements of physical infrastructure such as physical OneStop Border Post (OSBP) or Two-Stop Border Post (TSBP)?

Are there initiatives the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) is currently undertaking or implementing to enhance border management efficiencies?

• Soft infrastructure is required for trade facilitation for not only goods being transported to their destination, but also for goods in transit

• Need for acceptability of the transit mode or transit points (hence there is need for revenue authorities to issue one transit bond which is acceptable to all other revenue authorities in the region in order to reduce the cost of doing business)

• Establishment of more OSBPs is being considered beyond what has already been established

• Consideration of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to finance border infrastructure upgrade and improvement

• Development and implementation of a National Electronic Single Window (NESW) to improve coordination among the various border agencies and interaction with exporters and importers

• Introduction and establishment of a onepayment system via ZRA to reduce the cost of doing business

• Regular or periodic undertaking of Time Release Studies (TRS) or Time Measurement Studies (TMS) to identify challenges which are key for decision-making