Minister Gwengwe says Mchinji One Border Post commissioning in June
The long-awaited commissioning of the Mchinji One Border Post will take place in June 2021, the Minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe has confirmed the development in an interview with Nyasa Times.
The project was delayed due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) preventive restrictions, which, among others, prevented Anhui Foreign Economic Group from importing construction materials from China.
On Tuesday, Gwengwe inspected the project whose completion level stands at 100 percent, with installation of office furniture being the remaining item before the commissioning of the facility.
The minister stated that President Lazarus Chakwera and his Zambian counterpart Edgar Chagwa Lungu will preside over the commissioning ceremony.
“The physical completion of the project is at 100 percent and that the government is currently procuring furniture to facilitate the commissioning of the facility to the public. The whole essence of the One Border Post is to enable cross-border traders to ply their businesses easier, quicker and cheaper. So, it’s all about efficiencies so that the cross-border traders do not take a long time to clear their goods at the border,” said Gwengwe.
He disclosed that the government is replicating the project in all the country’s border posts of Dedza, Mwanza and Songwe in Karonga.
However, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Trade, Christina Zakeyo, observed that currently, Malawi does not have the legal framework to regulate the operations of the one border post.
Zakeyo therefore appealed to the members of Parliament (MPs) to fast track the debate on the proposed One Border Post Bill currently in draft form.
In his remarks, the Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Culture and Tourism Simplex Chithyola assured that his committee will facilitate the debate and passing of the proposed law when MPs meet in the next session.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) financed the Mchinji One Stop Border Post project to the tune of K7.1 billion.
Please make every effort to complete the Project by June. There are people out there who are so passionate about deadlines. Ask LMC about a newCabinet. They behave like cabinet is the only problem for Chakwera. They refuse to accept that we had by-elections in March which, like it or not, must have had a bearing on the new cabinet
Minister Ngwengwe and the entire ministry are failing to curb smuggling. The whole ministry of internal affairs and it’s immigration department is failing to curb illegal immigrants. . Malawi. Kkkkk
Hope it won’t be as corrupt as current Mchinji border post. People there are a disgrace. Taking cash and stamping passports without visas, asking for bribes. Chakwera said he would deal with corruption but all I see is targeting of DPP members, not dealing with the huge corruption by border officials and police. We need to rid our society of these criminals.
A Gwengwe….mwaonatu ntchito za APM. Kumagaya mmutu….lero mukukayendera chitukuko cha APM. Maso mphenya mu Public sector reforms. I wonder why Chilima had to invite proposals for PSR? You mean you can not see where your friends were aiming and had stopped. Let’s be progressive not retrospective. Muwauzenso bwana kuti kutsekulira ma National Teachers Training Colleges in Rumphi, Mchinji and Chikwawa kwayandikira. Mukatha pamenepo Muwauzenzo kuti Phalombe District hospital ikutheka tsopano. Koma pamene mukuchita zotsekuliratsekulirazi…musaiwale tikufuna zitukuko zanu. Mwachitsanzo a health centre every 4km, 400 tarmac roads…..of coz in 100 days idakanika…mwina in 20 years. Tikudikiranso nyumba za MPs paja mumati… Read more »
Ndede nzosiyirina,ufuna wosawina akatsekulire
Mbuzi zimalankhula. chonchi