Talks between Namibia and Zambia on setting up a One Stop Border Post at Katima Mulilo have officially wrapped up in Livingstone, Zambia. The discussions, which began on Tuesday during the Joint Technical Committee Meeting, ended with both countries agreeing on a draft plan and committing to finalise the process within a month.

Namibia and Zambia signed a memorandum of understanding in June last year for the establishment of a One-Stop Border Post at the Katima Mulilo Border Post, an idea that initially started way back in 2013.

Since then, stakeholders involved in border management from both countries have been engaging through a series of consultations to operationalise the agreement.

This week's meeting in Livingstone, Zambia, marks another critical step towards the realisation of this strategic project.

Progressively, the Joint Technical Committee has now approved a governance structure as well as terms of reference for various sub-committees that will be established to support the implementation.

Commissioner Shivute's sentiments have been echoed by the national border agencies, including the Roads Authority, the Agronomic Board and Walvis Bay Corridor.

Zambia's Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary, Lillian Bwalya, closed the meeting with the call for continued commitment to this important economic move for not only these two countries but the entire region.

This meeting came after the reaffirmation made by Presidents of Namibia and Zambia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Hakainde Hichilema, during their recent bilateral talks in Lusaka.