Implementing facilitation on trade and transport corridors

Abstract

Paper presented at the 28th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6 - 9 July 2009 "Sustainable Transport", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

A recent study showed that 75% of delays on trade corridors are caused by poor facilitation, while only 25% were the result of the infrastructure itself. The authors are implementing facilitation measures on southern African routes to foster international trade and optimize benefits from the recently declared Free Trade Area and coming Customs Union. This paper describes the emerging practices for effective implementation. The paper describes the leadership role of the Trans Kalahari Corridor Management Committee in piloting new initiatives and the success of its member working groups assisted by task teams in implementing action plans. It addresses the methodology used to sustain efforts over time through reinforcing commitment and seeking continuous improvements. Almost all corridor proposals in the SADC region include one stop border posts (OSBP). Having been involved in the implementation of several OSBP in the region, the authors analyze their lessons learned and provide insights on how to maximize the benefits achieved.