Southern African Trade and Connectivity Project (Malawi)
On November 7, President of clearing agents at Dedza Border, Hastings Mpambira, hailed the updated Automated Systems for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) World, saying it will hasten clearing services between imports and exports at the border.
Mpambira made the remarks in Dedza on the sidelines of an orientation with Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and clearing agents at the border on Monday afternoon.
Mpambira said the system is important because it will save time and hasten service delivery because customers will be able to pay their fees at one goal.
MRA Station Manager at Dedza Border, Lucy Chikhawo, said ASYCUDA is among others used by MRA to process imports and exports, as well as help customers to declare goods that come into Malawi.
Chikhawo said the system is very effective because when a client has made a declaration, the MRA is able to see when the declaration was captured, when is paid for, as well as the timeframe that takes to process the declarations.
The support for ASYCUDA comes from World Bank through Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP).
The $150 million six-year World Bank project is set to increase private sector activity along targeted corridors of Malawi and Mozambique, through reduced trade costs and time, increased value chain development and improved access to infrastructure.
The project is expected to run through 2027, and has four components which include to reduce trade costs, improve regional coordination and project Implementation, strengthen value chains and regional integration and strengthen transport infrastructure to improve market access.
