Malawi is hosting a two-day Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) management meeting on the Regional Customs Transit Guarantee Scheme.

The RCTG scheme aims to reduce costs on bonds, reduce delays at border posts, simplify the clearing process as well as provide business opportunities.

Officially opening the conference on Thursday May 18, 2017 at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) Commissioner General, Mr. Tom Gray Malata thanked COMESA for holding the meeting in Malawi.

“Let me express my profound gratitude to COMESA for allowing Malawi to host this meeting for the second time. This demonstrates that our country is totally committed to the initiatives that are being advanced by COMESA” said Malata.

The Commissioner General applauded COMESA on the RCTG scheme which is simplifying trade in the COMESA region.

“The RCTG has proved to be an important trade facilitation tool for the economic development of developing countries, the scheme was established in 2012 and has managed to reduce transit and transport costs in the few years of its establishment,” added Mr. Malata.

The Commissioner General also commended those member countries that have subscribed to the RCTG and called on those that have not acceded to the scheme to adopt it.

Speaking on behalf of COMESA Secretary General, Chief Programme Officer for the secretariat Mr. Berhane Giday expressed his gratitude to MRA for hosting the meeting.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to MRA for hosting this meeting. This clearly shows commitment of the government of Malawi to the objectives of COMESA," said Giday.

 The objective of the RCTG scheme is to provide a uniform basis for transit movement throughout the region, where only one guarantee is used for the transit of goods through all transiting Member States. So far the scheme has been successful in minimizing revenue leakage.

RCTG has a total membership of 13 and is fully operational in the Northern and Central Corridor countries namely: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, North-South Corridor and Djibouti.

Attending this year’s meeting are members from the COMESA Secretariat, MRA, Customs Commissioners from COMESA member states, Bankers Association of Malawi, Clearing and Forwarding Agents and Insurers.

By Emma Mwasinga & Chimwemwe Mlombwa