Beira Development Corridor Agreement Gets Go-Ahead
The Minister of Transport and Logistics, Hon. Museba Frank Tayali, MP, expressed his elation following the Cabinet’s approval of the Beira Development Corridor Agreement. The decision was made during the 8th Cabinet Meeting chaired by His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema on Monday, May 6th, 2024, in Lusaka, approving Zambia’s signing and ratification of the Agreement.
The Beira Development Corridor Agreement includes Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The ratification will facilitate the creation of coordinated mechanisms to address challenges among these member states, promoting infrastructure development, transit-transport cooperation, and cross-border trade. This coordination will ensure that the member states benefit from various initiatives and development projects undertaken by stakeholders and cooperating partners within the Corridor.
The Beira Development Corridor is vital for enhancing regional and international trade competitiveness, especially for the landlocked countries of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the DRC. Hon. Tayali highlighted that the Beira Corridor offers Zambia the shortest route to the sea, making this development particularly beneficial.
The Agreement will now proceed to Parliament for the final stage of the ratification process. Once ratified, it will be the fifth Corridor Agreement that Zambia has ratified under Hon. Tayali’s tenure as Minister of Transport and Logistics. The remaining Corridor under consideration is the North-South Corridor Agreement, which awaits intervention from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat.
Hon. Tayali, who presented the Zambian case for the Beira Corridor Agreement to the Cabinet, is optimistic that this approval is a significant step towards creating a multi-modal transportation and economic development system in the region and beyond. He believes that this move aligns with the New Dawn Government’s goal of transforming Zambia into an export-led growth and middle-income country by 2030, as well as establishing it as a regional transport and logistics hub.
Additionally, the Minister looks forward to the development of the Kafue to Lion’s Den railway link, which will reduce the distance to the Beira Sea Port by over 1,000 kilometres.