By Kingsley Jassi:
Malawi and Zambia are discussing the issue of revamping railway services to increase haulage of cargo on the 1,150-kilometre railway infrastructure from Nacala to Chipata through Malawi.
This is according to Principal Secretary for Transport and Public Works David Mzandu, who disclosed this on Thursday during a tour of Mchinji- Mwami One Stop Border Post (OSBP).
The railway is part of the Nacala Corridor, which is undergoing transformation through the World Bank-funded Southern Africa Trade Connectivity Project (SATCP).
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He said the two countries had commenced discussions to ensure that more cargo that passes through Malawi on the way to Zambia is carried by the train that is already passing.
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“We will come up with a concrete agreement on how we use the railway for transportation,” he said.
The railway operator, Nacala Logistics, has been increasing volumes and is even carrying cargo for Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Delegations from Mozambique and Zambia were taken to the border to appreciate its functionality in easing border clearances, as Malawi and Zambia are discussing with Mozambique to have their OSBP at their respective borders.
It was shared by the OSBP authorities that since the opening of the facility in 2022, there has been 40 percent revenue growth while commercial vehicle clearance period has reduced from up to seven days to just two days while the immigration clearances take just about five minutes.
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However, Zambian Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Logistics Fredrick Mwalusaka said it was a strategic objective sanctioned by the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to work towards ‘non-stop’ border facility.
“All we need to do is do a review of the operations to identify bottlenecks that still exist and find ways to make our borders become non-stop border posts as is the case in some developed countries,” he said.
Delegates from the three countries had a week-long meeting for the 9th Tripartite Nacala Development Corridor Management Committee in Lilongwe
Among the issues under discussion was progress made in the establishment of the Nacala Development Corridor, which will have its own secretariat to coordinate operations.
SATCP is transforming infrastructure and customs systems along the corridor. These include roads and border posts and the aim is to ease movement of goods among the three countries and beyond to improve trade.
