The SADC Secretariat, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the GIZ Cooperation for the Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration (CESARE) Programme, organised a three-day One Stop Border Post (OSBP) Stakeholders Orientation Workshop in Livingstone, Zambia, from 18 to 20 September. The main objective of the Stakeholder workshop was to raise awareness to DRC and Zambia on the concept of OSBPs considering various OSBP models.
A border visit to Kazungula border shared by Botswana and Zambia was undertaken to appreciate one of the models on OSBP implemented in the region. The workshop brought together Government Officials and the Private Sector from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. It provided guidance and enabled stakeholders to gain an in-depth understanding of how OSBPs are designed and operated.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Dhunraj S. Kassee the Director of Industrial Development and Trade Department at the SADC Secretariat thanked participants for having honoured the invitation by the Secretariat to attend the workshop. He indicated that the convening of the workshop was part of the implementation of the decision by the 43rd SADC Summit of the Heads of State and Governments, that was held in Luanda, Angola, in August 2023, directing the Secretariat to “constitute an Inter-Ministerial Task Force to find a lasting solution to the continued challenges faced by transporters and drivers at the Kasumbalesa border post,”
Mr. Dhunraj Kassee further explained that the OSBP intervention was one of the key activities endorsed by the Inter-Ministerial meeting of the Ministers responsible for Transport, Trade, Immigration and Security matters from DRC and Zambia at their meeting held in Kinshasa on 9 May. Both countries requested the Secretariat to provide capacity building support on OSBPs. The Secretariat responded to the request by mobilizing resources and facilitating the convening of the Stakeholders workshop.
The highlight of the workshop was the visit to the Kazungula Bridge OSBP that provided an opportunity for participants to appreciate the engineering feat involved in the design and construction of the Kazungula Bridge over the Zambezi River.
The participants learned that since the Kazungula OSBP became operational, the clearance and release of trucks had improved from an average of 80 units per day to an average of 300 units per day. The time taken to clear a truck had reduced from an average of five days to 14 hours. In addition, both countries have seen an overall improvement in trade facilitation, security and safety of goods and people, and an increase in revenue collection.
The workshop and the visit to Kazungula provided and shared details that will assist the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zambia in designing an appropriate model, infrastructure requirements and legal framework as they implement OSBP at Kasumbalesa border post.
