The Minister responsible for Infrastructure has officially kick-started the construction of the long-awaited Nakonde One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) Improvement and Upgrading Project – Phase 1, which has been funded by the United Kingdom (UK) government through Trade Mark Africa at a tune of US$ 10 million. The contractor is China Rail Construction and Engineering Group.
The upgrading and improvement of infrastructure at one of the busiest border crossings in the country, and which accounts for about 22 per cent of trade facilitation, is historic. Over 800 trucks are processed via Nakonde Border on a daily basis.
The first phase of the Nakonde One-Stop Border Post Improvement and Upgrading Project will cover the commercial side of business, such as upgrading the cargo scanner to a modern one able to process more than 100 trucks an hour, and developing a truck parking yard.
Currently with the available infrastructure at Nakonde Border Post, trucks are taking 64 hours, exactly five days, to be processed but it is projected that with the OSBP upgrading and improvement project completed by 31st March, 2025, the processing of trucks will reduce from 64 hours to 10 hours.
Hon. Eng Charles Lubasi Milupi thanked the World Bank through the TRACER Project who are supporting the people of Zambia in the second phase of the project, which will include the extension of the main terminal building, the passenger side of the business at the border, as well as enhancing digital trade
and installation of smart border facilities. The works under Phase 2 are estimated to cost US$22 million.
It should be noted that despite previous efforts to operationalise the Nakonde Border as an OSBP in 2019, this didn’t materialise due to the inappropriate infrastructure on the Zambian side. For example, the lack of appropriate access roads connecting the two sides of the border has created a serious bottleneck in the smooth flow of in-bound and out-bound traffic, leading to long queues of trucks on both sides of the border.
By improving infrastructure at Nakonde Border Post, we aim to enhance efficiency along the Dar-es-Salaam Corridor. Therefore, in executing this timely project, I don’t expect anything less. Quality, correct price and timely delivery are not negotiable on this project.
Photos by: Leonardo Maniko
