Honourable Museba Frank Tayali, MP, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Republic of Zambia, paid an official visit to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat Headquarters in Gaborone, Republic of Botswana, on 22 January 2026, to sign the North–South Corridor Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Beira Development Corridor Agreement. These two agreements relate to some of the most strategic and significant transport and trade corridors within the SADC region.
The Honourable Minister was received by Ms. Duduzile Simelane, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, together with senior officials of the SADC Secretariat.
The two corridors are designed to enhance the efficient movement of goods, promote intra-regional and international trade and support the transformation of transport corridors into smart economic corridors. Their development is expected to contribute significantly to industrialisation, job creation and sustainable economic growth across the SADC region and beyond.
Honourable Tayali commended the SADC region for its continued commitment to the development of regional corridors and for fostering collaboration in pursuit of shared regional aspirations. He emphasised that the corridors are not merely transport routes, but catalysts for regional value chains, industrial development, inclusive growth, and trade facilitation. The Minister reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to the objectives of the North–South Corridor and expressed their interest to host the North–South Corridor Management Institution once established. He reiterated the country’s dedication to the principles of regional cooperation upon which SADC was founded.
The Honourable Minister further highlighted Zambia’s significant investments in transport, logistics and border infrastructure, including road and rail networks, inland dry ports and one-stop border posts. These developments directly support corridor objectives and provide a strong operational foundation for enhanced regional connectivity.
Ms. Duduzile Simelane, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, commended the Government of the Republic of Zambia for its commitment to the development of transport and trade corridors. She underscored the importance of investing in the North–South Corridor as a critical driver of infrastructure development in support of regional integration, noting that improved accessibility and mobility are essential enablers of economic growth. She further observed that, once fully implemented, the North–South Economic Corridor has the potential to significantly transform the region.
The North–South Corridor serves as the backbone of the SADC transport network, linking seven Member States and connecting eight regional corridors. It accounts for approximately 60 per cent of regional trade by volume and directly serves about 50 per cent of the SADC population, with long-term benefits extending to all SADC Member States.
The Beira Development Corridor connects with the Lobito Corridor and facilitates port-to-port connectivity, linking the Port of Beira on the Indian Ocean with the Port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean. Together with the North–South Corridor, the corridors are expected to significantly enhance the efficiency of movement of goods and people and promote trade within the region and beyond.
The Honourable Minister was accompanied by Her Excellency Ambassador Pamela M. Chisanga, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Botswana; Mrs. Irene Tembo, Acting Director for Planning and Monitoring in the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Zambia; and Ms. Antonina Chisanga, Principal Legal Counsel of Zambia. The Acting Deputy Executive Secretary was accompanied by Dr. George Ah-Thew, Acting SADC Director of Infrastructure, and Ms. Chikondi Nsusa, Senior Programme Officer for Transport at the SADC Secretariat.
