DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 30 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA and Zambia have taken a significant step toward focusing on enhancing regional trade by reaffirming their commitment to eliminating trade barriers and improving cross-border trade systems, following a recent high-level bilateral meeting.
The bilateral discussions centred on addressing key trade challenges, particularly Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBTs), which continue to hinder smooth commerce between Tanzania and Zambia.
Speaking at the meeting, Permanent Secretary of Tanzania’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dr Hashil Abdallah, stressed the urgency of eliminating NTBs.
“We have resolved over 30 barriers, with just ten remaining, all slated for removal by December,” he said.
Dr Abdallah also highlighted improvements at the Tunduma border, where several longstanding issues have been addressed.
Key trade obstacles include Nakonde border delays, faulty fuel offloading equipment, high tolls, frequent roadblocks, incomplete cargo documents, limited scanner capacity in Zambia, costly transit permits, night driving restrictions, radiation charges on exports, a 1.5 per cent Railway Development Levy on exports to Tanzania and unharmonised road transport regulations.
Recent reports also indicate trucks held in Zambia for over a month without clear reasons.
Zambian Permanent Secretary for Trade and Commerce, Lillian Bwalya, acknowledged progress in operationalising the Kasese/ Zombe One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) and the strategic rehabilitation of the TanzaniaZambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), both crucial to boosting trade.
She reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment, as Second Vice-Chairperson of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Bureau, to fully implement the agreement and called for continued Tanzanian collaboration.
Both countries reported advances in upgrading road infrastructure between Nakonde and Chinsali, completing 98 per cent of the Nakonde OSBP, integrating customs systems between the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and securing land for a truck parking yard in Zambia, expected to be operational by September 2026.
The governments agreed to implement all joint decisions fully and report progress at the next review meeting.
The presidents of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating all non-tariff barriers as a cornerstone for deeper economic integration. — NNN-DAILYNEWS
