CLEARING AGENTS LOBBY FOR SINGLE ASSOCIATION

THE Customs Clearing and Freight Forwarding Agents Association of Zambia (CCFFAAZ) president Bruce Kaemba has called for formation of a single association for clearing agents to increase bargaining powers.

Mr Kaemba told the Daily Nation in an interview that formation a single association, as opposed to the current four associations would among other things be a flagship for advocating massive changes in the clearing industry.

Mr Kaemba said the single association was also expected to lobby Parliament for the enactment of a Statutory Instrument (SI) that would compel all the clearing agents’ to have a standard minimum clearing charge.

“At the moment there is so much fragmentation in the Zambian clearing industry because of the many existing associations, rendering the collective bargaining voice less forceful,” Mr Kaemba said.

He said CCFFAAZ was also engaging the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) on the modalities of forming one association and the former’s response has been encouraging.

Mr Kaemba said the number of clearing agents in Zambia currently stands at more than 800 and this was a serious concern to the entire clearing industry because there was no strong collective bargaining power meant to improve the standards in the clearing industry.

Mr Kaemba said the single association would also give the Clearing Agents leverage as they would have proper representation both at the local, regional and international level.

He expressed happiness at the impending formation of a single association, which he said would bring sanity to the industry and compel all the clearing agents to be wearing uniforms for easy identification.

He explained that once formed, indigenous clearing agents would be expected to be handling the largest bulk of the cargo, as opposed to the current scenario where more than 90 percent of the cargo in Zambia was handled by multinationals.

He praised President Edgar Lungu for the political will he had shown in supporting the clearing industry and the ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda for the commitment to implement the directive from the Head of State. He has also thanked the Ministry of Finance for taking action in line with the Presidential directive.

CCFFAAZ President and his executive are currently in Nakonde to lobby for formation of single association.