Malawi and Mozambique Friday celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations with the launch the Dedza- Calomuė One-Stop Border Post, a landmark development in cross-border cooperation and trade facilitation.
President Lazarus Chakwera and visiting Mozambique president Daniel Chapo launched the facility, which was constructed with financing from the World Bank.
The facility boasts two examination bays for goods, parking spots for 100 freight trucks, and a modern passenger terminal.
Before the construction of the new One-Stop Border Post facility, it took about 24 to 36 hours to clear a truck carrying items such as wheat, fertilisers, groceries and raw materials.
Speaking during the launch of the facility, Chakwera said Malawi and Mozambique were happy to take their relationship to another level and would continue to cooperate in many areas.
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He said through standing together and sharing strength, Malawi and Mozambique would develop together.
On his part, Chapo said Malawians and Mozambicans are relatives and are one.
He hailed Chakwera for inviting him to the inauguration of the border post and to the joint celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations.
He underscored the need for the two countries to further develop their trade relations by removing all the obstacles that affect doing business.
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“We are brothers and sisters. We are the same people. That’s why we have Chapos in Malawi and Chapos in Mozambique.
“We must not have barriers to doing business. We must do malonda, malonda, malonda,” Chapo said.
World Bank Acting Country Manager for Malawi Jakob Engel said the facility was more than a border post but a bridge to a brighter future for Malawi and Mozambique.
According to Engel, the facility helps to promote formalised crossborder trade, thereby boosting revenue collection by the two countries.
Engel added that the border post would help reduce time wastage by business persons, thereby reducing the cost of doing business.
He appealed to authorities in Malawi and Mozambique to move with similar haste on other projects such as the Mozambique-Malawi interconnector.
Minister of Trade Vitumbiko Mumba has said the facility was important for the promotion of regional integration.
He said the future of African countries lies in trade and that aid is just there to complement the trade.
