MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FINANCING MODEL FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF THE DRC-ZAMBIA- MOZAMBIQUE- ZIMBABWE- BOTSWANA BORDERS WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONE-STOP CROSS-BORDER POSTS, AT THE CENTER OF A TECHNICAL MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2026 AT DUBAI BETWEEN THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN TRADE OF THESE 5 COUNTRIES, DP WORD AND THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE ZLECAF
The establishment of a financing model for modernizing the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Mozambique-Zimbabwe and Botswana with the construction of one-stop border posts, was at the center of a technical meeting this Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates between the Ministers of Foreign Trade of these 5 African countries, the officials of DP Word and the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area-ZLECAF.
This project aims to streamline transit and reduce vehicle waiting times along borders, factors which weigh heavily on the competitiveness of goods, hence its execution will constitute a real sigh of relief for economic operators.
The delegates of these 5 countries and the managers of DP Word, which will finance the construction and modernization of these infrastructures to facilitate trade, as well as the Secretary General of the ZLECAF have set a meeting in two weeks in Dubai to adopt this financing model on which a mixed team of experts is working.
In an interview given to the national and international press, the Minister of Foreign Trade of the DRC, Julien Paluku Kahongya spoke of an important step taken, because this project won on the sidelines of the 39th summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, constitutes good news for economic operators and the population of these 5 countries concerned, because their products will now be competitive on the market, thanks to the reduction in costs and deadlines.
With the construction and digitalization of these one-stop border posts, the time taken for vehicles to pass, which was 45 to 55 days between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, will be reduced to 10 days or even 5 days. Initially, this is in line with the effective implementation of the World Trade Organization-WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement ratified by the DRC in last July, added the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya
The Secretary General of the ZLECAF, Wamkene Mene, indicated for his part that this initiative is part of the acceleration of the effective implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area to thus promote intra-African trade.
