The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions (R/D) with the Government of the Republic of South Africa on October 27 in Pretoria on the technical cooperation project “Strengthening Capacity for Smooth OSBP Management in the North-South Corridor”. The addition of South Africa to the three countries of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, which have been participating in the One Stop Border Post (OSBP)* project since its inception in 2020, will further accelerate efforts in the broader project to be implemented in cooperation with key countries in the North-South corridor and JICA.
This project will improve customs clearance procedures at the OSBPs located at the borders along the North-South corridor that runs through the Southern Africa region. It will contribute to SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Goal 8 (both job satisfaction and economic growth) by reducing human and economic costs and transport time at border crossings, stimulating investment, and promoting regional trade facilitation.
JICA has been contributing to the introduction of OSBP, improvement of its operation, and modernization of national customs authorities in the Eastern African region for many years (see related link). In this project, JICA plans to make use of the wealth of experience it has accumulated in this area. For example, customs officials from southern African countries will be sent to OSBP facilities in Eastern Africa that are already in operation to inspect actual sites and share past achievements.
What is *OSBP?
OSBP is an initiative to enable the efficient movement of people and goods by allowing procedures that used to be carried out in each of the two countries to be carried out in one place when crossing inland borders. They have been introduced in various African countries, and JICA supports the introduction and operation of major OSBPs.
The details of the project are as follows
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