The Malawi Revenue Authority has observed that the new border post being constructed at Songwe in Karonga district will assist in addressing challenges both the authority and people it serves encounter.
With funding from the World Bank, the authority is implementing a 14-billion-kwacha project that will see the construction of a new and modern border post which will among others provide a parking lot of about 90 cargo trucks.
In an interview with MIJOnline, Engineer Msafiri Seboro resident engineer for the Songwe Border Post project said construction works currently stand at 12 percent a development he attributed to disruption of construction works due to heavy rains the country received earlier this year.
“Currently we are still raising and compacting the reclaimed land and we are at 12 percent. The biggest challenge we had was the heavy rains which to halting of some activities. However, in two weeks’ time we will be bringing in some already fabricated metal bars from Uganda that will simply be installed and that will fast track the project and it will pick its pace.” explained Seboro.
Seboro further said considering that the area is synonymous with floods and earthquakes, a simulation of the two natural disasters was conducted during the design phase and that the structure has since been designed to withstand such natural disasters.
Meanwhile, John Biziwik commissioner general of MRA has said the current facility is too small to ably serve people travelling between Malawi and Tanzania a thing he said has the potential to affect revenue collection in the country.
According to Biziwik, congestion is also affecting its operations at the border post saying some travelers spend hours on the cue despite being cleared by various state agents operating at the border.
“When people spend a lot of time at the border after being cleared, it creates congestion which affects the movement of people and goods between the two countries. With that it means we won’t be able to clear goods coming in and going out thus impacting on revenue collection” observed Biziwik.
However, he said contractor of the project Janki Shee is assisting in that aspect by among others providing an extra temporal parking space for vehicles to be stationed while waiting to be cleared.
The 14-billion-kwacha project world bank funded Songwe One Stop Border project commenced in August 2023 and is expected to be completed by December, 2024.
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