Hakainde Hichilema says newly inaugurated Zambia-Malawi One Stop Border Post well secured to address risks
LUSAKA, Zambia
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said Wednesday that human trafficking remained a major threat to the free movement of people on the African continent.
Hichilema said this is why it was important that border infrastructure was equipped with modern technology to put a stop to the vice, which was also detrimental to the ease of doing business on the continent.
“We do not want this facility to be used as a conduit for human trafficking, drug trafficking because these vices are a danger to our people,” he said.
Hichilema was speaking at the commissioning of the $7.5 million Mwami/Mchinji One Stop Border Post (OSBP) between his country and Malawi.
Zambia remains a hotspot conduit for human traffickers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), especially of migrants from East Africa, who are hoodwinked for perceived job opportunities in Namibia and South Africa.
The southern African nation’s Department of Immigration also frequently reports cases about migrants predominantly from East Africa being deported or removed from the country for lack of proper entry documentation.
Recently, the bodies of several Ethiopian nationals suspected of being illegal migrants were found in Malawi and a former president’s stepson was arrested, while many Africans believed to be illegal immigrants are also often arrested, detained and prosecuted in the SADC, including in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Jointly inaugurating the infrastructure with Hichilema, his Malawian counterpart Lazarus Chakwera said the first ever OSBP would enhance trade by improving the pace of moving goods and people.
“This is the sort of cooperation we want from the donor community to achieve the Africa that we want,” said Chakwera about the project, which also received support from the European Union.
