Although it pioneered the one-stop border post (OSBP) in Africa, there is still some way to go to provide a smooth transit along the north-south corridor, according to a report by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). The Chirundu OSBP between Zambia and Zimbabwe, which started operating in 2009, is considered the continent’s first fully functional OSBP.It is the first of the crossings on the north-south corridor to the Port of Durban, which handles around 40% of Zambia’s international freight traffic, according to Jica.In December 2020, Jica commenced the ‘Project for Capacity Development on Smooth Operation of OSBPs on the North-South Transpor t Corridor’, aimed at establishing the operational structure and building capacities of stakeholders on three OSBPs, which include the alternative Botswana route. The focus countries of the project – Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana – are landlocked and consequently their imports and exports require long transport times and high costs, according to Jica.A survey published in August 2023 found that the clearance time for cargo at Kazungula OSBP, which is located at the border of Zambia and Botswana, had been reduced by around one-third, from 30 to 12 hours. There is a way to go before achieving a “Zero Stop Border Post” of the future, advocated by Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema. “One of the reasons is that stakeholders have not fully utilised the preclearance option,” states the Jica report. The project, which includes the training of border officials, is due to run until March 2025.
