• New joint authority to manage Kazungula Bridge and one-stop border post

• Move aims to cut transit delays and support AfCFTA integration

• Bridge links Durban port to DRC and Tanzania via North-South Corridor

Botswana and Zambia on Feb. 24 launched the Kazungula Bridge Authority, a joint body tasked with managing and operating the Kazungula Bridge and its one-stop border post — a key trade corridor in Southern Africa.

Developed jointly by the two governments, the initiative aims to stimulate subregional trade, ease congestion and strengthen economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area. It also seeks to improve border management, enhance transport efficiency and speed up trade flows between the two countries and the wider continent.

At the launch ceremony, Zambia’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, said improved coordination in managing the bridge would help reduce transit costs for businesses, cut delays for transporters and boost trade. He also stressed the need to establish a free trade zone and promote further joint investment.

Botswana’s president, Duma Boko, announced the introduction of 24-hour border operations to ensure smoother movement of goods and people. He said the measure would deepen economic cooperation, lower trade barriers and align with the objectives of the AfCFTA.

Inaugurated on May 10, 2021, the Kazungula Bridge is a road and rail structure spanning the Zambezi River at a cost of $259 million. Stretching 929 meters and equipped with modern facilities, it connects the port of Durban in South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania through the North-South Corridor.

Built to replace an aging pontoon ferry that previously transported freight trucks across the river, the bridge has eased the movement of goods and people. It is designed to lower trade costs, encourage industrialization and reinforce integration within the Southern African Development Community.

Lydie Mobio