Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe is hosting an inter-ministerial meeting of Sadc Ministers of Trade, Transport, Infrastructure and Security Matters to resolve challenges at Kasumbalesa Border Post, which is between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona and other senior Government officials are attending the meeting.
In a statement this week, the regional body said: “The Kasumbalesa Border Post has faced persistent issues, including congestion, trade facilitation-related constraints, infrastructure challenges, and rising security concerns, particularly affecting truck drivers and the broader trading community.”
“Recognising the strategic importance of the border post for intra-regional trade, the Sadc region will adopt a corridor-wide approach to address these ongoing challenges.
“This approach takes into account that resolving issues at a single border post alone is not sustainable, as efficiencies gained may be offset by bottlenecks at adjacent border crossings and along the trade corridors,” the statement reads.
Kasumbalesa connects several regional trade arteries such as the North-South Corridor, the Central Development Corridor (Dar es Salaam), the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor, and the Beira and Lobito development corridors.
Minister Felix Mhona is chairing the meeting as the bloc seeks to create actionable plans for infrastructure improvement, enhanced trade facilitation, and security measures along these essential corridors, ensuring seamless regional trade.
In January, DRC and Zambian officials met at the directive of their principals, Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Hakainde Hichilema, to find solutions to the border post’s challenges.
