Land-Linked Zambia @2023: A Transport & Logistics Event DISCUSSING EFFICIENT BORDER MANAGEMENT IN A SIMPLIFIED TRADE REGIME

The following closing remarks were made by each of the panellists:

• Afreximbank: endeavours to promote and facilitate intra-African trade through different modes of transport: air, rail, road and water (ensures efficient movement of goods across the borders and emphasises the need for efficient border management and trade facilitation. Afreximbank is open to collaborating with national authorities and RECs)

• WBCG: need for enhanced service delivery in addition to good border infrastructure i.e. there is need to improve attitudes towards work (dedication to work regardless of time of day). There is need for trust among stakeholders: regulators, private sector, policymakers etc. Further, there is need to address both hard and soft infrastructure challenges

• MCTI: policy and legal frameworks are in place. What remains is to foster and accelerate implementation of reforms. There is need to enhance capacity of border agencies. Presently, it’s only the ZRA that has sufficient capacities (staff capacities are developed from an inhouse training facility). There is need for other border agencies to also invest in capacity building or staff development. The MCTI is looking to address both hard and soft infrastructure and leveraging finance from public and private sectors. Further, in order to effectively address NTBs, there is need for enhanced collaboration between Zambia and other Member States from COMESA and SADC

Zam Presentation

This presentation was made by Ms Kawama Banda, Research and Policy Officer at the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM). In her presentation, Ms Banda stressed the linkages between the manufacturing and transport and logistics sectors. However, the challenge is that Zambian manufacturers prefer to use foreign trucks at the expense of local transporters. The main reason for this is cost: it’s cheaper to engage outbound trucks. Other challenges relate to the poor state of road infrastructure and the volatile and unpredictable fuel pricing mechanism (which affects effective business planning). Notwithstanding these challenges, the ZAM commends the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) for the massive efforts being made to streamline and harmonise border procedures in order to reduce the cost of doing business. The Government should explore possible measures that could be instituted to stabilise the cost and pricing of fuel (in order to make the cost of doing business more predictable).