Day 1 Plenary and Workshops Plenary 1: Ports and Cross Border Facilitation.

Day 1 Plenary and Workshops 24th February, 2022. Morning Sessions.

Plenary 1 : Ports and CrossBorder Facilitation

With the Opening Ceremony concluded, delegates participated in a series of Plenaries and Workshops over the next two days. Four workshops were structured to follow the main plenary on Ports and Cross Border Facilitation. These delved deeper into the topic and gave participants an opportunity to learn more and engage with the panelist. Partnerships can make a Land-Linked Zambia a reality. The event attracted dozens of partners and stakeholders. The opening plenary afforded some of the key partners a chance to provide statements. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cornelder, Jan De Vries said it was an honour to speak at the event and hoped that this event would be the start of many. He said that Zambia is a key market for Cornelder, and with the Beira Port being the closest port to Zambia, it is a key corridor for the country. By leveraging its corridors, especially Beira, he said, “Zambia can transform from a land-locked to a Land-Linked country”. He expressed delight at the competition Cornelder was facing in the region, citing it as necessary for Cornelder’s improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic dominated most of the decision making of the business and posed numerous shipping and export challenges. Fortunately, not once did the business close because challenges were overcome by sourcing local solutions and through digital innovation. The company assembled a team of Mozambican software developers who in two months, developed and deployed an online customer portal enabling access to the port’s services without stepping foot on-site. The port is expanding the digitalized system to service more customer needs and improve efficiency. Meanwhile, Mr. George Chinganya of SGC Ltd. said the transport and logistics industry is one of the most important sectors in Africa and provides support to other sectors such as agriculture and mining.Also, that it is key for the growth and rejuvenation of the SADC region. He said, “This event has thus brought together like minded people from different sectors in the region to build collaborative relationships and increase business capacity and opportunities”. He described the conference as the beginning of massive growth in the sector. The conference should address, he said, challenges related to high transport costs for Oil Marketing Companies operating within ‘landlocked’ countries like Zambia. He revealed that SGC and Stanbic Bank had partnered to support the transport industry through provision of vehicle asset financing to bring security and stability to players in the transport industry. The Marketing Manager of Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Lydia Gladys Mallya reaffirmed TPA’s commitment to ensuring Zambia’s continued enjoyment of the benefits of using the Dar-es-Salaam port. Dar-esSalaam port currently has the highest volume of all cargo Zambia imports and exports. She informed delegates that the port was expanded to increase operations and to service larger tonnes of cargo. She expressed gratitude at the business Zambia was giving the port and encouraged delegates to do business with the Tanzania Port Authority. A number of workshops were held simultaneously after the opening plenary.