New Mchinji border post improves clearing time

Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has said time management in clearing both passengers and cargo has improved after the establishment of one stop border post (OSBP) in Mchinji.

Mchinji OSBP deputy station manager Felix Mzilahowa disclosed this on Wednesday in Mchinji when journalists visited the border post as part of a Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP) media orientation funded by the World Bank to stimulate trade with Nacala Corridor. 

He said the previous facility was two small to handle large volumes of passengers and cargo, but with the establishment of the new one, things have improved, especially time management.

Mzilahowa said in the past, it used to take two hours to clear, but now it takes not more than an hour while cargo clearance was taking two days, but now it takes a maximum of two hours. 

“The border operations are going on well because we have the new facility and the processes have been simplified,” he said. 

Mzilahowa said the border has registered an increase in the importation of tiles more than any other border in the country due to efficiency in time management.

He said before the new OSBP, revenue generation was about K1.1 billion a month, but now they are collecting about K3 billon a month.

On her part, Maria Joseph, a business woman from Lilongwe, said the new facility has accelerated speed in clearing of goods.

“We used to spend days here in Mchinji waiting for MRA to clear our goods, but now this is a thing of the past. Previously, most small-scale business people were using uncharted routes to avoid delays at the border,” she said.

Mchinji OSPB was commissioned on December 7 2022.