Nine years after its founding, the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI) is being realigned to ensure that it continues to contribute to regional integration and economic development in the region, according to the MCLI chief executive officer Barbara Mommen. In order to build on the achievements of the past nine years it is necessary to formalise the public private partnership between the private sector and the governments of South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland, she says. This will enable “greater accountability to both the public and private sectors,” she says. Up to now there has been no mechanism to hold governments accountable to deliver on their promises. An example is the introduction of a one-stop-border post and 24-hour operation at Lebombo, which was agreed to in 2006. Neither has materialised. “Just operating the border post 24 hours a day as promised would already reduce congestion, and increase the efficiency of the corridor,” she says. Mommen believes that corridor organisations play a vital role in facilitating development, as they serve as a meeting place for business and the authorities. “We want to maintain a good platform of engagement,” she says. Formalisation of the structure will also help with the funding. “It gives us the opportunity to f ix the financial model. The private sector has been funding the MCLI for the past 10 years, and they believe that the governments of Mozambique and Swaziland should take the lead from the South African government and also contribute because the countries are the greatest beneficiaries from the success of the corridor in terms of economic growth,” she says. Technical advisors from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are “supporting the process” towards the realignment of the MCLI “because the ministers of transport are all signatories of the SADC protocol which recognises the centrality of corridors in driving economic growth”. SADC has established corridor planning committees, which are described as “cross-border entities comprised of both public and private stakeholders from transport and infrastructure authorities, customs authorities, trade and industry bodies, and users of the development corridors”. Negotiations are continuing, and the MCLI is working with all parties to facilitate the proposed changes to the structure of the organisation. INSERT & CAPTION We want to maintain a good platform of engagement. – Barbara Mommen
