Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
SENIOR Government officials from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have convened a Trilateral Joint Route Management Group and Joint Committee meeting in Harare aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and facilitating the seamless movement of goods and passengers across the region.
The meeting is being held under the framework of the three countries’ bilateral road transport agreements and serves as a platform to strengthen regional cooperation, enhance transport connectivity and facilitate the seamless movement of goods and passengers across the region.
Among those attending are the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development Permanent Secretary, Engineer Joy Makumbe, her counterparts from Malawi and Mozambique, Mr Bright Kumwembe and Mr Alberto Matusse, respectively, as well as senior government officials from the three countries.
Eng Makumbe said the gathering reflected a shared commitment to strengthening regional connectivity, enhancing corridor efficiency and ensuring that the movement of people and goods among the three countries is safe, predictable and seamless.
“Our cooperation is not merely administrative; it is strategic. Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique are bound together by geography, by trade, and by a shared vision of a region that is integrated, competitive, and prosperous,” she said.
“The corridors that link our countries — north–south, east–west, and across our borders — are the lifelines of our economies. They support industry, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and the livelihoods of millions of our citizens.
“From a road transport regulation perspective, it is an established fact that our transport operators and travellers face numerous challenges arising from conflicting regulations, standards, processes, and practices across the countries they traverse.”
Eng Makumbe said the inconsistencies create unnecessary administrative and operational constraints, forcing operators to comply with different requirements as they move across Member States in the SADC region.
“The net effect is reduced corridor efficiency, undermining the fundamental role of transport corridors in facilitating trade and contributing to unsustainably high transport cost,” she said.
Malawi’s Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Mr Kumwembe, said the transport corridors connecting the three countries are far more than physical infrastructure.
“They are the lifelines through which our economies grow and our people connect. They facilitate trade, stimulate investment, support tourism, create employment, and contribute directly to the well-being of our people.
“It is therefore particularly encouraging that, after a seven-year hiatus since our last meeting in Lilongwe in 2018, we are once again gathered around the same table.
“The resumption of these meetings sends a strong and positive message: that despite the challenges we face, our commitment to cooperation, dialogue, and regional integration remains unwavering,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of Mozambique, Mr Claudio Camiao Zunguze said the meeting reflects a shared commitment to strengthening regional cooperation.
“The transport sector is a critical enabler of economic growth, regional integration, trade facilitation and social development within our three countries. And, of course, the Southern African Development Community, SADC.
“Mozambique recognises a great importance to the Joint Road Management Group and Joint Committee mechanism.
“This platform provides us with a valuable opportunity to collectively address challenges affecting cross-border transport operations, improve road safety, facilitate the movement of people in groups and strengthen cooperation among our institutions and stakeholders,” he said.
