By Sarah Munthali
Mchinji, June 2, Mana: Vice President, Saulos Chilima, has called for collaborative efforts in curbing smuggling of goods along the country’s borders.
Chilima made the call in Mchinji on Tuesday, when he toured the newly built One Stop Border Post at the Mchinji/Mwami-Zambia border.
“We have a challenge as a country. There is a lot of illicit trade going on and this is not just experienced at the Mchinji/Mwami Zambia border post, it is also prevalent in other areas.”
“I call on security agencies, the police, the immigration, the intelligence authority, the Malawi Defence Force and the citizens to participate in curbing this malpractice because this is robbing us of revenue which we could have used in constructing roads, hospitals and schools,” he said.
He said government is committed to take smuggling head on, saying citizens should take part by informing the security agencies if they suspect strange activities by traders.
On the newly built One stop border post, Chilima said he was impressed with the structure saying it would improve service to the travelling public both private and commercial.
“What we have seen is both quality and excellence, we are going to service passengers and those with goods with efficiency. This is one of the key reforms that we have embarked on in the Ministry of Trade and we have seen it come to fruition. We look forward to its full completion so that people of Zambia and Malawi can fully benefit from the facility.”
“Citizens of the two countries will be serviced faster, because reforms are about service delivery and being efficient, and we are satisfied with what we have seen,” he added.
The Vice President then called on all stakeholders to take care of the structures, which will tentatively be opened in December this year.
Minister of Trade, Sosten Gwengwe, said the one stop border post would ease congestion at border posts.
The Minister also called for strict measures in curbing smuggling which he said is on the increase in border areas.
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) Commissioner General, John Biziwick, said the One stop border post initiative was necessitated due to challenges such as duplication of activities in the clearance of imports and exports between Malawi and Zambia.
“Importers have to stop on the Zambia side and complete all customs and immigration processes before coming here and repeat the same cycle of processes. This status causes delays in the border clearance of both goods and people,” he explained.
He said the one stop border post will streamline clearance processes thereby shortening the clearance time, reduce opportunities for illegal practices and improve service delivery.
Biziwick said the one border post will not only benefit MRA but other government agencies and private companies like banks, insurance companies as well as custom and clearing agents.
The Mchinji OSBP construction was commissioned in 2018 and completion was expected in June 2020 but delayed due to a number of factors including Covid-19. The contractors handed over the facility to government in February, 2021.
After touring the OSBP, the Vice President had an impromptu rally at Mchinji Boma where he urged people to take a leading role in advancing the development agenda of the district.
