| Project Detail |
In May 2019, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which involves 54 African countries (excluding Eritrea), entered into force. The AfCFTA is expected to promote interregional integration toward realization of Agenda 2063, in which the African Union (AU) presented its long-term vision for African development. Trade facilitation is widely recognized as a means of reducing regional business costs, attracting investment and stimulating economic development.
The AU and the African Union Development Agency / New Partnership for Africas Development (AUDA-NEPAD) have been promoting economic integration in collaboration with regional economic communities (RECs), which are the building blocks of the AfCFTA and which among other things have been promoting OSBPs. As noted, OSBPs enable efficient movement of people and goods by simplifying border control procedures, to be carried out in one country only (the country of entry) rather than carried out in both the exit country and the entry country.
The three focus countries for this project - Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana - are landlocked and consequently their imports and exports require long transport times and high costs. Since the North-South Corridor from Durban, a major port in South Africa, to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, is regarded as a main corridor in the logistics network of Southern Africa, trade facilitation through operationalization or improvement of OSBPs at borders is expected to provide substantial benefits
The Overall Goal
Enhance trade along the North-South Corridor through facilitation of targeted OSBPs.
Project Purpose
Customs clearance procedures at the targeted OSBPs are improved. |
