The Sub-Saharan Africa's first One-Stop Border Post (OSBP), the Chirundu Post, at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe opened on Saturday with the aim to reduce the delays of clearing customs and immigration and further promote regional economic growth.
The background message from the Commerce Ministry of Zambia showed that the Chirundu border post, one of the busiest inland border crossing in the southern and eastern Africa, has been experiencing long delays of clearing customs and immigration.
Zambia President Rupiah Banda, who launched the opening ceremony of Chirundu Post together with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, said in a
speech that the opening of Chirundu OSBP comes at a critical phase in Zambia-Zimbabwe economic relations and demonstrates partnership that
embraces the benefits of regional trade.
Banda noted that a country or region that has inefficient transport and border clearance systems would find it difficult to trade competitively.
"Chirundu's strategic location as a node of trade between southern and eastern Africa and its role as gateway between two busy regions has made the port an ideal choice as a pilot site for the one-stop border control programme," the President said.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe hailed the opening of Chirundu OSBP, saying that it is a trade facilitation project in the Africa's North-South Corridor.
"It is believed that the OSBP will stimulate economic activity with improvement of infrastructure, bulk storage facilities, a container depot, and bonded warehouses for the freight transporters," said Mugabe.
The increased economic activities will lead to the establishment of hotels, lodges and conference centers and trade zones which investments can benefit the border community, the President added.
Kingsley Chanda, the project manager of the post, said that it takes a truck three to five days to pass the Chirundu post before, adding that the newly-born Chirundu OSBP will reduce the time greatly.
According to Helen Mealins, head of Department For International Development (DFID) Southern Africa, one of the partners of the Chirundu project, the open of the Chirundu OSBP will cut delays at the post by 30-50 percent.
On a typical day, the new Chirundu Post is able to hand an average of 270 trucks, making it the busiest port in Zambia and one of the most
utilised inland border points in the eastern and southern Africa region.
Meanwhile, with the new Border Post, travellers and transporters from either country would be required to complete immigration and customs formalities on one side of the border only before proceeding with their journey. This is in contrast with the previous situation where travellers
were to be subjected to lengthy checks on both sides.
Delays at border posts along the North-South Corridor are one of the biggest constraints to trade in the region, Mealins told media earlier this week at a pre-event press briefing about the project.
"The delays increase costs for businesses, making exports uncompetitive and imports more expensive. For landlocked countries especially, transport costs are a serious constraint to economic growth," she said.
The Chirundu OSBP is jointly launched by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), together with the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Chirundu OSBP will allow people, vehicles and goods to exit one country and enter another through a single facility staffed and operated jointly by adjoining countries, limiting the duplication of border agency interventions and reducing transport time and costs, said Amos Marawa, director of infrastructure and development of COMESA.
According to Amos, the construction of Chirundu OSBP was decided in October, 2008 by COMESA, the EAC and SADC, adding that more such OSBPs are
to be constructed along the North-South Corridor.
He hinted that OSBPs between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi are to be opened in the next step.
"As the sub-Saharan Africa's first one-stop border, Chirundu is leading the way forward for creating single border stops, not only for this region, but for Africa as a whole. Indeed, the One-Stop Border Post at Chirundu is making a positive and important contribution to the realization of Africa's integration ambition," the official added.