Commerce Permanent Secretary, Kayula Siame says Zambia and Tanzania should strengthen bilateral trade.
Ms Siame said this when the Tanzanian Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Professor Joseph Buchweishaija paid a courtesy call on her in the office.
She raised a concern over the accessibility of information on trade between the two countries at Nakonde One Border Post adding that effective communication is required to traders so as to simplify trade.
The Permanent Secretary observed that the cost of doing business in Tanzania for Zambian logistic companies is too high due to transit charges levied on them and poor road infrastructure.
She hoped for the Tanzanian Government to resolve these challenges in trade as soon as possible.
In response, the counterpart ProfessorBuchweishaija stated that he will ensure English is added on all documents that are issued in Swahili inoder to avoid trade barriers.
Professor Buchweishaija noted that Tanzanian traders face challenges when acquiring transit permits in Zambia.
He explained that there is no authorization office in Nakonde that assists Tanzanian traders as this facility is only accessible in Lusaka.
The meeting was agreeable that smuggling has been an alarming issue for both countries and as such the two countries should come up with measures to mitigate the vice to attain a smooth trading system.
Furthermore, both countries agreed to share products for trade as a measure to strengthen bilateral trade.
