Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in KARIBA
PEACEFUL, secure and well-managed borders are critical to unlocking the full economic potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose combined economy is valued at an estimated US$3,4 trillion, officials said on Tuesday.
The message dominated the 2026 African Border Day commemorations jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in Kariba, where more than 150 delegates, including senior Government officials, diplomats, border experts and representatives of border communities, gathered to strengthen regional cooperation and advance Africa’s integration agenda.
Permanent Secretary for Lands and Rural Development Professor Prosper Bvumiranayi Matondi said border demarcation was not about dividing people, but creating orderly administrative systems that promote peace, certainty and economic development.
“We are saying one people, one river; one people, one land; one people, one continent; one people, one region. I think that’s the ethos around the meaning of this particular river and the occasion that we are celebrating today,” he said.
He said although clearly defined boundaries were necessary for effective administration, they should never erode the historical, cultural and economic ties shared by communities living along international frontiers.
Professor Matondi said properly managed borders provided a predictable environment for trade, investment, security cooperation and sustainable development, adding that Zimbabwe and Zambia remained committed to completing the ongoing boundary reaffirmation exercise on Lake Kariba.
Acting Permanent Secretary in Zambia’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kasonde Mwila, said African Border Day demonstrated that borders should be viewed as bridges connecting people and opportunities rather than barriers separating nations.
“African Border Day reminds us that borders should not be viewed merely as lines dividing territories. Rather, they should be regarded as bridges that connect people, communities and opportunities,” he said.
He said Lake Kariba had for decades demonstrated that shared natural resources could become instruments of cooperation instead of conflict, with Zimbabwe and Zambia successfully collaborating in hydropower generation, fisheries management, tourism development and environmental conservation.
Mr Mwila said efficient border governance remained essential for supporting trade, tourism, energy development and people-to-people interaction, while improving the livelihoods of farmers, traders, fishermen, entrepreneurs and other communities living along the shared frontier.
Zambezi River Authority chief executive Eng Munyaradzi Munodawafa said Lake Kariba represented one of Africa’s finest examples of transboundary cooperation, with Zimbabwe and Zambia jointly managing the shared water resource for the benefit of both countries.
“When they are clearly defined, peacefully managed and supported by strong institutions, borders become bridges for trade, human interaction, shared prosperity and sustainable development,” he said.
Eng Munodawafa said sustainable management of transboundary water resources required continuous dialogue, scientific cooperation and water diplomacy, adding that no single country could effectively manage shared water resources in isolation.
As part of the commemorations, delegates toured the newly installed floating navigation buoys on Lake Kariba, marking the completion of the pilot phase of the Zimbabwe-Zambia boundary reaffirmation programme on the lake.
The floating markers provide a clear visual demarcation of sections of the international boundary, improving navigation safety, reducing accidental border crossings and strengthening law enforcement, while paving the way for the completion of the remaining sections of the approximately 280-kilometre lake boundary.
Hosted under the African union theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” the commemorations reinforced the growing recognition that Africa’s borders are strategic economic corridors capable of driving trade, investment, tourism and regional prosperity under the AfCFTA.
