By Daniel Ziba and Tione Andsen

Principal Secretary for Trade, Christina Zakeyu – The Meeting will help improve trade in the region Photo By Kondwani Magombo, Mana

Lilongwe, July 6, Mana:  Member states of Southern African Development Community (SADC) are keen to solve problems surrounding Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), implementation of Trade in Services Protocol and ratification of Free Trade Areas.

Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Christina Zakeyo has said this head of 33rd Committee of Ministers of Trade and 22nd Ministerial Task Force for Regional Economic Integration is slated for July 8 to 9, 2022 at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.

She said the meeting would enhance of intra-SADC trade among member countries by removing non-tariff barriers in the region and the introduction of electronic certificates of origin whenever a country wants to export.

Zakeyo said Customs Officials have already done the pilot project, and this one would start working very soon.

“Among others members will discuss the enhancement of small-scale cross border trade, more especially among Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. This will be done by establishing a simplified trade regime.

“We would like to promote small scale cross border trade. We already have a system in place with Zambia and Zimbabwe under Common Market for East and Central Africa (COMESA), but now we are happy that SADC has adopted this particular system. We are looking at ways of modernizing our borders. We have already developed a one stop border post and we have gone far to looking into ways of implementation and the issues of coordinated border management,” she added.

The PS pointed out that, “We are looking into ways of streamlining border agencies, since there are several agencies that work within one border. As such we are supposed to come up with strategies. Some member countries have already started and SADC Secretariat has agreed to support Malawi to develop a coordinated border management strategy. At national level Malawi is developing a bill, but as a country we need to put a strategy in place to implement that.”

She said, she expects the private sector to make use and take advantage of these initiatives, because the government is the negotiator.

A Lilongwe based Business Lady, Mirreille Nkata said ratification of free trade area within the region would help small scale businesses to grow and to make trade flourish.

She said small scale businesses were failing to grow further due to payment of high cost of custom duties within our borders.

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