Mbala to have One-Stop border facility

GOVERNMENT is in the process of establishing a One Stop Border at Zombe in Mbala to boost trade between Zambia and Tanzania.

Northern Province, Minister Brian Mundubile, said the facility would improve Zambia’s re enue collection as trade would be boosted.

He was speaking in an interview in Mbala at the weekend.

“The establishment of a one stop border facility at Zombe would reduce time it usually took in clearing goods as well as enhance information exchange that will help curb smuggling of goods between the two countries.

n Zombe, the traffic is quite slow and the main reason is the bad road that gives access to the border on the Zambian side,” he said.

And the Zambia Revenue Authority assistant commissioner-North, Joe Simwanza, said there was less traffic going on at the border posts.

“The roads are so bad that even during the rainy season the vehicles fail to pass but despite that we also do a bit of exports through that border from Democratic Republic of Congo to Tanzania in small vehicles,” Mr Simwanza said.

He said the border had recorded a deficit in re enue collection in the first uarter of this year. Mr Simwanza said K69, 000 had been collected from Zombe border over a period of 12 months.

“The border recorded below target in January in terms of revenue, in February it was above target and in March a below target was recorded,” he said.

He said the set target for Zombe border this year was K17.7 million over a period of 12 months compared to last year which was K1.5 million.