Malawi and Mozambique have committed to strengthen their collaboration on the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP) to grow trade activities on their transport corridors.
Mozambique’s High Commissioner in Malawi, Alexandre Manjate, and his Malawian counterpart, Wezi Moyo, reached an agreement in Lilongwe on Tuesday to realise this goal with the implementation of one-stop border posts between the two countries.
This comes after a government delegation visited to the Mwanza-Zobue and Dedza-Calomue borders to assess Malawi’s infrastructure ahead of the proposed implementation of the one-stop border posts concept.
SATCP consultant for Mozambique, Domingos Diogo, said the visit was important to ensure both countries aligned their efforts to achieve trade activities that remained consistent and relevant for both.
Malawi will rehabilitate the 47-kilometre Liwonde-Matawale road to link to the Chiponde border crossing in Mangochi that connects to Niassa Province, as part of the six-year project that started in 2021.
It will also rehabilitate the Blantyre-Zomba road, acquire drones that the Malawi Revenue Authority will use to clamp down on smuggling, and build inland inspection centres in Lilongwe and Blantyre to speed up the clearance of imports and exports.
Last-mile infrastructure projects such as the construction of market warehouses, bridges and the rehabilitation of other roads will also be undertaken in the country.
Financed by the World Bank, which is spending US$150 million in Malawi and US$230 million in Mozambique, the project aims to boost trade coordination, reduce costs, and develop efficient regional value chains.
