Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
37
Regarding this OSBP set-up – first from the legal perspective – the following three key legal
documents were established to mandate and govern the operation at Chirundu53:
 The Zimbabwe One Stop Border Posts Control Act. No. 21 of 2007 (enabling act),
 The Zambia One Stop Border Control Act. No. 8 of 2009 (enabling act), and
 The Bilateral Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Zambia and
Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe concerning the Establishment and
Implementation of a One-Stop Border Post at Chirundu (agreement for Chirundu). 54
Second, in terms of the technology, facility and infrastructural investments, the following were
the main actions taken when making the Chirundu OSBP a reality:55
 Adaptation of border facilities to suit the OSBP framework,
 Construction of a perimeter fence to define the common control zone,
 Construction of a new dual-carriage-way bridge over the Zambezi River with support
from JICA,
 Construction of additional houses for the staff at the border,
 Procurement of new operational equipment such as container scanners,
 Inclusion of bank facilities in the control zone,
 Provision of office accommodation for clearing and forwarding agents in the control
zone (available on rental basis),
 Provision of signage at the OSBP to guide travellers and users, and
 Installation of a fibre cable to link the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides to facilitate the
extension of ICT systems and to facilitate exchange of information.
Third, the following three actions took place in the context of human resource management
and public awareness raising: joint training of public sector and staff at the border, joint
training of private sector officials at the border and national sensitisation activities to inform
the public.56
Fourth, from the governance perspective, the Chirundu OSBP included the establishment of a
project steering committee, national committees in the two countries and four sub-committees
dealing with procedures, legal matters, facilities and information and communication
technology. Also, inter-agency committees between both countries to deepen the
implementation of the project were established recently. These committees also include
representatives from the private sector.
Operating principles
Zambia and Zimbabwe have implemented procedures in the Chirundu OSBP initiative, with
actions in the following areas: infrastructure and process flow; southbound traffic (passengers
and pedestrians, coaches and other passenger vehicles, commercial traffic -fast track traffic
and other traffic cargo); southbound terminal; northbound traffic (passenger cars and
pedestrians, coaches and other passenger vehicles, commercial traffic -fast track traffic and
other traffic cargo); northbound freight terminal; scanning and physical inspections;
53 OSBP, 2010
54 It is important to highlight that it took more than two years to pass the OSBP law in Zambia, while that period was much
shorter in Zimbabwe (AfDB 2016, Expert interview).
55 AfDB Expert interview, 2016.
56 AfDB Expert interview, 2016