Ministry of Transport and Logistics Permanent Secretary Fredrick Mwalusaka said the corridor remains a vital trade route connecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.
Mwalusaka made the remarks during the Validation and Dissemination Workshop on Enhancing Trade-Related Security along the Southern Route of the Central Corridor held at the InterContinental Hotel.
He noted that despite the corridor’s strategic importance, transporters still face several challenges, including congestion and customs delays at the Nakonde Border Post/Tunduma Border Post and Kasumbalesa Border Post.
Mwalusaka added that security threats such as truck vandalism and robbery have also disrupted the smooth movement of goods along the route.
Meanwhile, Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency Director of Customs and Trade Facilitation Charles Mtonga said the introduction of digital payment systems will help reduce revenue leakages and improve transparency in cross-border trade.
Why has it taken this long to come to this decision? In order to stamp out corruption electronic transactions will need to be rolled out in all government transactions. The payback time for the investment would be minimal. Cmon Zambia, let’s set the pace for once. Apart from showing the President’s taking off and landing at various airports, let’s start creating a list of his new economic policies and ideas. Showing off should never be part of the deal. However, we are very grateful to him for bringing back peace and stability in the country. We hope and pray that Mr Lungu’s carderism be confined to our terrible history.