‘Coordinated border management agencies collaboration crucial in reducing transit delays’

* It is the government’s major target to end delays at borders  because it affects the people and the country’s development at large

* It is our expectation that we’ll have an improved operations when our neighbours Mozambique conclude their CBM facility

By Victor Singano Jnr

Ministry of Trade & Industry has emphasized on the importance of working in collaboration among coordinated border management (CBM) agencies, saying the program helps in smoothening and making the border clearances efficient and effective.

Diamond Chikhasu — deputy director of investments responsible for reforms in the Ministry of Trade, made the remarks on Monday in Mwanza after a meeting with CBM project management team and the joint border operations committee responsible for border operations.

Held with support from the Southern Africa Trade & Connectivity Project (SATCP), the meeting’s main purpose was to  follow up on the progress of the implementation of the pilot CBM model — including the challenges faced and recommendations that may arise as well as allocation of office space to agencies in the newly built facility allocated at Mwanza Border.

Chikhasu emphasised the need for all the CBM agencies to work together and not individually as one way of dealing with delays which the business communities experience at the border.

“It is the government’s major target to end delays at borders  because it affects the people and the country’s development at large,” he said. “It is our expectation that we’ll have an improved operations when our neighbours Mozambique conclude their CBM facility because we’ll be able create a conducive environment in our borders and have an opportunity for ironing out some challenges that may have been encountered since the pilot.”

Chairperson of the joint border operations committee, Maureen Mtambalika said since it was formed in 2023, the committee has been a great improvement as various institutions are working together as a team.

Some of the government agencies working at Mwanza border include Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA); Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS), Ministry of Agriculture, Forest, Wildlife & Fisheries; Ministry of Health (for human health screening); Department of Immigration; Malawi Police Service among others.

The CBM was launched in June 2023 following prerequisite CBM capacity building workshop for border agencies and the private sector.