Border reform process ready to move forward

After a six-month hesitation due to lack of funding, the plan for border post reform – originally conceived by the Federation of Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta) – has got under way again, according to federation executive officer, Barney Curtis. The first step in the Fesarta process to remedy the border post problem was extensive discussions about the problem issues with regional players such as SADC, Comesa and the World Bank. After a workshop funded by the British donor agency DFID via the Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP) the SADC decided to take the lead in implementing the proposed process. The next step included the decision that a document needed to be drawn up, giving the terms of reference for a task team to follow, and an action plan formulated for going forward, Curtis told FTW. “But funding then ceased as the RTFP completed its five year lifespan,” he said. It was then decided that the DFID funding would be channelled through the newly formed body, The Trade Mark Southern Africa. “However,” Curtis added, “this was slow getting off the ground, and it took six months to complete the changeover from RTFP to TMSA. “It is only now that the next steps can be taken in implementing the reform process.