GABORONE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's President Duma Boko and his Zambian counterpart, Hakainde Hichilema, on Tuesday officially launched the Kazungula Bridge Authority at the border post in northern Botswana.
The newly established authority will oversee the management of the bridge and its one-stop border post. The two leaders said that the authority is a critical step toward fully utilizing the Kazungula Bridge to broaden regional trade and maximize benefits under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), calling for increased joint investments to advance development and trade between their nations.
Speaking at the event, Boko said the authority will cement bilateral ties by creating vital links for the transport of goods and people. "The AfCFTA agreement imposes an obligation on every African leader and citizen to raise the volume of intra-African trade," he stated. "We need to re-engineer our infrastructure to move goods across our continent seamlessly."
Boko said that the border will evolve from a one-stop border post into a "nonstop border system," allowing continuous movement of goods and people with 24-hour operations, which are expected to reduce congestion, cut waiting times, and lower transportation costs for businesses using the North-South Corridor.
The North-South Corridor is a major transnational transport network in Southern and East Africa that links South Africa's port of Durban with the Copperbelt region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, and extends to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania through connecting routes and spurs, facilitating trade and movement across multiple countries.
For his part, Hichilema stressed the importance of anchoring AfCFTA and Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional trade through initiatives like the Kazungula Bridge.
On Monday in Kasane, in Botswana's North West District, the two governments signed an addendum agreement formalizing the establishment of the Kazungula Bridge Authority.
The authority will be hosted on Botswana's side, while Zambia will hold the executive director position, ensuring balanced oversight. A Council of Ministers comprising infrastructure, finance and trade ministers from both nations will govern the authority, supported by an inaugural Board of Directors with professionals from both countries.
Officially inaugurated in May 2021, the Kazungula Bridge serves as a vital trade route within the SADC region, benefiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and South Africa. ■
